Two new COVID-19 cases identified at Limestone District School Board schools
Limestone District School Board (LDSB) has identified two new cases of COVID-19 at two of its schools. The cases, which were disclosed by the school board and KFL&A Public Health on Friday, Oct 9, 2020, were confirmed to be at Polson Park Public School and Kingston Collegiate & Vocational Institute.
Families with students at the affected schools received an email message confirming the positive cases.
“We recognize that receiving this information may be stressful,” the joint press release from KFL&A Public Health and LDSB said. “KFL&A Public Health and the school are taking all necessary steps to prevent further spread of the virus both in the school and the community.”
KFL&A Public says that it is continuing to work with the schools to identify cohorts of students and staff who may have been in close contact with the COVID-19 positive persons, at the school or during school transportation, where applicable.
The release did not disclose whether the confirmed cases were students or staff members.
LDSB says that the schools will clean and disinfect all areas in the schools where the individuals may have been, and will work with KFL&A Public Health to develop a plan to protect all students and staff and prevent the spread of COVID-19.
The school board says that parents and guardians should continue to monitor and screen their children daily for symptoms of COVID-19, and that is not necessary to have children tested at this time if they do not have symptoms of COVID-19, as testing now could lead to unnecessary or repeat testing.
“If your student shows symptoms of COVID-19, immediately isolate them from others and go to an assessment centre for testing. If you are contacted by KFL&A Public Health, follow the guidance provided. If you do not receive an additional letter or call from the school or KFL&A Public Health, your student can continue going to school,” said the release.
The new disclosures bring the total number of COVID-19 cases at Kingston area elementary or high schools to six, following previous case announcements from Algonquin & Lakeshore Catholic District School Board (ALCDSB) at two of its schools, a previous case at LDSB’s Sir John A Macdonald Elementary School, and one case identified at École Rémi-Gaulin, in the Conseil des écoles catholiques du Centre-Est (CECCE) school board.