New COVID-19 cases confirmed by ALCDSB schools

Three schools in the Algonquin & Lakeshore Catholic District School Board (ALCDSB) have confirmed COVID-19 cases in the past 48 hours.

Regiopolis Notre Dame Catholic Secondary School and Ecole Catholique Cathédrale (ECC) each confirmed one case on Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2020. This is the second case associated with ECC in a week, with a previous case confirmed on Friday, Dec. 11, 2020.

Holy Cross Secondary School sent a notice to families on Friday, Dec. 18, 2020, confirming a positive case but noting that no class cohorts are required to isolate. Holy Cross had also confirmed a previous case in the week, on Sunday, Dec. 13, 2020.

“Please note that the Board’s top priority is the health and safety of our students and staff. All precautions are being taken to ensure all school environments are cleaned as required and that all members are following public health guidelines,” said a statement on ALCDSB’s website.

“If there is a positive case in one of our schools, the Board will follow protocol as outlined by our local public health units and the Ministry of Education and take all precautions necessary.”

In the interest of maintaining privacy, the board does not identify the individuals that receive a COVID-19 diagnosis.

“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,” the Board noted.

“In the event that one of our local public health units advises the Board that a class or school should be closed for a period of time, parents/guardians, students and staff will be notified.”

This is the last day of classes for ALCDSB students before the winter break. On Thursday, Dec. 17, 2020, Ontario’s Minister of Education Stephen Lecce advised parents and school boards to prepare for the possibility of an extended classroom closure, with remote learning possibly resuming in January 2021.