Update: More Kingston schools declare cases of COVID-19
Update (Friday, Dec. 11, 2020): On Friday, Dec. 11, 2020, the Limestone District School Board (LDSB) announced two more cases of COVID-19 have been detected in local schools.
Both cases were identified at KCVI, according to LDSB.
“The students are isolating at home, and they are following directives from KFL&A Public Health. In the interests of maintaining privacy, the board will not identify people that have received positive COVID-19 tests,” LDSB said in a press release.
“Affected members of the school community have been notified. At this time, the school remains open. Although there is a third case of COVID-19 identified at KCVI, this does not constitute an outbreak at the school as the cases are not linked to school transmission,” the release continued.
“The school and board are working with KFL&A Public Health to identify cohorts of students, staff and others who may have been in close contact with the COVID-19 positive person at school. Not all students or staff will be affected by a positive case. A positive case at a school does not mean the individual was exposed to COVID-19 at the school. They may have been exposed somewhere else in the community or outside of the KFL&A region.”
According to LDSB, the school will clean and disinfect all areas where the individuals may have been, and will work with KFL&A Public Health to develop a plan to protect all members of the school community to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
“KFL&A Public Health, the school and board are taking all necessary steps to prevent further spread of the virus both in the schools and the community,” the board said. “As always, the health and safety of students, staff and the school community remain our priority.”
The two new cases bring the total COVID-19 cases within the LDSB to six currently. That is on top of the cases within other school boards, as outlined below.
Original article:
Kingston Frontenac Lennox & Addington (KFL&A) Public Health has confirmed positive cases of COVID-19 at École Catholique Cathédrale (Main Campus) and École Secondaire Catholique Marie-Rivier.
Both cases were confirmed on Thursday, Dec. 10, 2020.
KFL&A Public Health is reportedly working with the schools to identify cohorts of students and staff who may have been in close contact with the COVID-19 positive individuals, both at school or during transportation, if applicable. Public Health notes that not all students will be affected by the positive cases.
The schools will reportedly clean and disinfect all areas where the individuals may have been.
Parents and students are asked to remain vigilant, with continued daily screening for symptoms of COVID-19.
“It is not necessary to have your student tested at this time if they do not have symptoms of COVID-19,” said a statement from Public Health. “Testing now may lead to unnecessary or repeat testing.”
The news comes on the same day that Limestone District School Board (LDSB) released a statement confirming one student and one staff member in their community had tested positive for COVID-19.