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How safe are New Westminster's schools with the rise of Omicron?

A slew of exposures saw nearly all of New West's schools hit in the week before winter break. Now, school districts around B.C. are making plans for a full return to class Jan. 10
Julie MacLellan
Julie MacLellan
COVID in classroom
Nearly all of New Westminster's schools saw COVID-19 exposures in the week leading up to winter break. What will the new year bring?Getty Images

A slew of COVID-19 exposure notifications affecting almost all of New Westminster’s schools followed students into the winter break – but B.C.’s provincial health officer continues to say schools are the safest place for students to be.

Dr. Bonnie Henry, speaking at the province’s Tuesday, Jan. 4 COVID-19 briefing, said keeping schools open remains a priority for B.C.

“We know that schools are safe. They’re the best and safest place for our children,” she said, adding schools are critical for children’s social and emotional development, as well as their intellectual development. “It’s essential that we keep our schools open for children, just as we’ve kept grocery stores and pharmacies and hospitals open.”

Most students in B.C. – except some requiring extra support and those whose parents are essential workers – are off this week on an extended winter break as school districts prepare for the coming term. A full return to classrooms is set for Monday, Jan 10.

Henry said school districts are using this week to plan for that return, including setting out plans for coping with a potentially large number of staff absences in the face of the Omicron variant.

Those plans will be aimed at reducing the risk of what the province calls “functional closures,” when schools would temporarily shut down due to lack of staff.

School notifications will not continue as is

Also in the works are discussions around COVID-19 notifications in schools, since Henry said the current system will not remain feasible.

“It is not possible for us to report cases and exposure events in the same way, given the transmission that we are seeing,” Henry said.

As it stands, each health region posts “exposures” on its website, listing the school in question and the date on which an exposure occurred. Health officials also send letters to members of school communities when a self-monitor or self-isolation notice is deemed to be necessary.

Henry said public health will support schools in coming up with a new way of notifying families; how those notifications will happen is being worked out this week.

Fraser Health, which covers the school districts from Burnaby to Fraser Cascade (Hope and surrounding area), posted a large number of notices over the winter break regarding cases that had been seen in schools in the final week of classes (which wound up Dec. 17). 

In New Westminster, 16 new exposures were posted between Dec. 18 and 30, many for multiple dates. Some involved more than one case, although it’s impossible to tell how many cases were involved because that information is not made public. (As of today, there are no listed notifications because each one remains active for 14 days, and the 14-day window has now elapsed.)

The New West exposures involved École Qayqayt, Herbert Spencer, Lord Tweedsmuir, Queen Elizabeth, Lord Kelvin and Connaught Heights elementary schools;  Fraser River, Glenbrook and Queensborough middle schools; and New Westminster Secondary School, as well as the POWER alternate secondary program.

Of those, Fraser River, Glenbrook and Qayqayt were the subject of multiple notices. 

Only two schools in School District 40 – Skwo:wech Elementary and F.W. Howay Elementary – were not listed for exposures in that final week of classes, as Omicron began its rapid spread throughout the province.

There was also a multi-day listing for one independent school in New West: John Knox Christian School’s secondary campus.

With the latest listings, only F.W. Howay Elementary School remains without a COVID-19 exposure so far in the 2021/22 school year.

Here’s how the situation has unfolded as of the winter break:

COVID EXPOSURES IN NEW WESTMINSTER SCHOOLS

Here’s what has transpired in the 2021/22 school year so far in New Westminster:

  • École Qayqayt Elementary: Sept. 8 (reported by B.C. School COVID Tracker; predated change to Fraser Health notifications)
  • École Qayqayt Elementary: Sept. 20, 21, 22 (reported by B.C. School COVID Tracker; predated change to Fraser Health notifications)
  • Urban Academy (independent): Sept. 22, 23, 24 (reported on Fraser Health site Sept. 29)
  • Herbert Spencer Elementary: Sept. 21 (reported on Fraser Health site Oct. 1)
  • Lord Kelvin Elementary: Sept. 24 (reported on Fraser Health site Sept. 29)
  • Lord Tweedsmuir Elementary: Sept. 21, 22, 23, 24 (reported on Fraser Health site Oct. 1; B.C. School COVID Tracker confirms this is at least three separate cases)
  • New Westminster Secondary: Sept. 22, 23, 24 (reported on Fraser Health site Oct. 3)
  • Lord Kelvin Elementary: Sept. 22, 23, 28 (dates added on Fraser Health site Oct. 3)
  • New Westminster Secondary: Sept. 28 (date added on Fraser Health site Oct. 4)
  • Urban Academy (independent): Sept. 27, 28 (dates added on Fraser Health site Oct. 1)
  • Glenbrook Middle School: Sept. 25, 26, 28, 29, Oct. 1 (listed on Fraser Health site Oct. 7)
  • École Qayqayt Elementary School: Sept. 27, 28, 29, Oct. 1 (dates added on Fraser Health site Oct. 7)
  • Skwo:wech Elementary School: Sept. 23, 24, 27, 28, 29 (listed on Fraser Health site Oct. 7)
  • École Qayqayt Elementary School: Oct. 4,5 (listed on Fraser Health site Oct. 9; B.C. School COVID Tracker confirms this is at least two separate exposures)
  • New Westminster Secondary: Oct. 4, 5, 6 (dates added on Fraser Health site Oct. 9)
  • École Qayqayt Elementary School: Oct. 5, 6, 7, 8 (B.C. School COVID Tracker confirms at least two separate exposures involving this date range, with emails sent Oct. 11)
  • École Qayqayt Elementary School: Oct. 6, 7, 8, 11, 12 (separate case from above; one full class sent into isolation)
  • Fraser River Middle School: Oct. 7, 8, 12, 13, 14, 15 (reported on Fraser Health site Oct. 19)
  • Lord Kelvin Elementary School: Oct. 14, 15 (reported on Fraser Health site Oct. 20)
  • New Westminster Secondary School: Oct. 15, 18 (added on Fraser Health site Oct. 22)
  • New Westminster Secondary School: Oct. 13, 19, 20 (added on Fraser Health site Oct. 23)
  • Urban Academy (independent): Oct. 18, 19 (added on Fraser Health site Oct. 24)
  • New Westminster Secondary School: Oct. 21 (added on Fraser Health site Oct. 27)
  • Al-Hidayah (independent): Oct. 18, 20, 21, 22 (added on Fraser Health site Oct. 27)
  • Al-Hidayah (independent): Oct. 25 (added on Fraser Health site Oct. 31)
  • École Qayqayt Elementary School: Oct. 25, 26 (added on Fraser Health site Nov. 2)
  • Lord Kelvin Elementary School: Nov. 1, 2, 3 (added on Fraser Health site Nov. 8)
  • Queen Elizabeth Elementary School: Nov. 1, 2 (added on Fraser Health site Nov. 8)
  • Skwo:wech Elementary School: Nov. 1, 2, 3, 4 (added on Fraser Health site Nov. 9)
  • Connaught Heights Elementary School: Nov. 3, 4, 5 (added on Fraser Health site Nov. 10)
  • Fraser River Middle School: Nov. 2 (added on Fraser Health site Nov. 13)
  • Al-Hidayah School: Nov. 2, 3, 4 (added on Fraser Health site Nov. 12)
  • Glenbrook Middle School: Nov. 15 (added on Fraser Health site Nov. 21)
  • Herbert Spencer: Nov. 16, 17, 18 (added on Fraser Health site Nov. 22)
  • Glenbrook Middle School: Nov. 17 (added on Fraser Health site Nov. 24)
  • Fraser River Middle School: Nov. 19 (added on Fraser Health site Nov. 25)
  • Urban Academy: Nov. 17, 18, 19 (added on Fraser Health site Nov. 25)
  • Connaught Heights: Nov. 29 (added on Fraser Health site Dec. 2)
  • École Qayqayt Elementary School: Nov. 26, 29, 30 (added on Fraser Health site Dec. 3)
  • New Westminster Secondary School: Nov. 26, 30, Dec. 2 (added on Fraser Health site Dec. 4)
  • Lord Tweedsmuir Elementary School: Nov. 29, 30 (added on Fraser Health site Dec. 4)
  • École Qayqayt Elementary School: Dec. 1, 3 (added on Fraser Health site Dec. 6)
  • Lord Tweedsmuir Elementary School: Dec. 1,2 (added on Fraser Health site Dec. 7)
  • Lord Tweedsmuir Elementary School: Dec. 3 (added on Fraser Health site Dec. 7; appears to be separate exposure from Dec. 1/2 based on self-monitoring letter sent to families)
  • Fraser River Middle School: Nov. 29, 30 (added on Fraser Health site Dec. 7)
  • Lord Kelvin Elementary School: Dec. 3 (added on Fraser Health site Dec. 9)
  • Glenbrook Middle School: Dec. 6, 7, 8 (added on Fraser Health site Dec. 11; appears to be two separate exposures based on self-monitoring letter sent to families regarding Dec. 7/8)
  • Lord Kelvin Elementary School: Dec. 1, 2 (added on Fraser Health site over weekend Dec. 11/12)
  • New Westminster Secondary School: Dec. 3 (letter to family Dec. 10; Fraser Health site over weekend Dec. 11/12)
  • Fraser River Middle School: Dec. 3, 6, 9, 10 (added on Fraser Health site Dec. 14; appears to be at least three separate exposures based on self-monitoring letters sent to families,as posted in B.C. School COVID Tracker)
  • New Westminster Secondary School: Dec. 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 (Fraser Health site Dec. 14)
  • Fraser River Middle School: Dec. 8 (added on Fraser Health site Dec. 16)
  • Glenbrook Middle School: Dec. 13 (added on Fraser Health site Dec. 17)
  • Fraser River Middle School: Dec. 13 (added on Fraser Health site Dec. 17)
  • École Qayqayt Elementary School: Dec. 8, 9 (added on Fraser Health site Dec. 18)
  • New Westminster Secondary School: Dec. 13, 14 (added on Fraser Health site Dec. 19)
  • Glenbrook Middle School: Dec. 14, 15, 16 (added on Fraser Health site Dec. 20/21; at least three separate cases)
  • École Qayqayt Elementary School: Dec. 13, 14, 15 (added on Fraser Health site Dec. 21)
  • Fraser River Middle School: Dec. 14, 15, 16 17 (added on Fraser Health site Dec. 22)
  • Glenbrook Middle School: Dec. 17 (added on Fraser health site Dec. 23)
  • John Knox Christian School (secondary) campus): Dec. 13, 14, 15, 16, 17 (added on Fraser Health site Dec. 23)
  • Herbert Spencer Elementary School: Dec. 14, 15, 16, 17 (added on Fraser Health site Dec. 24)
  • Lord Tweedsmuir Elementary School: Dec. 16, 17 (added on Fraser Health site Dec. 24)
  • New Westminster Secondary School: Dec. 15, 16, 17 (added on Fraser Health site Dec. 24)
  • POWER Alternate Secondary program: Dec. 14, 16 (added on Fraser Health site Dec. 24)
  • Queen Elizabeth Elementary School: Dec. 17 (added on Fraser Health site Dec. 24)
  • Lord Kelvin Elementary School: Dec. 15, 16, 17 (added on Fraser Health site Dec. 29; at least two separate exposures)
  • École Qayqayt Elementary School: Dec. 17 (added on Fraser Health site Dec. 28/29)
  • Queensborough Middle School: Dec. 17 (added on Fraser Health site Dec. 29)
  • Connaught Heights Elementary School: Dec. 17 (added on Fraser Health site Dec. 30)

 

WHERE TO FIND OUT ABOUT NEW WESTMINSTER SCHOOL EXPOSURES

Fraser Health

New Westminster school exposures are listed at Fraser Health’s school exposures webpage.

 

B.C. School COVID Tracker

This parent-run database uses information provided directly by parents and verified by official health authority letters. There's a searchable database online.

 

Exposure Watch

This site, created by New Westminster parent Gabriel Bauman, provides a listing of COVID-19 "hotspots" in B.C. schools, as well as a search function to find out school-specific information. Parents can also sign up for exposure alerts and report exposures. (Note that the listings may include both confirmed and unconfirmed exposures; they are identified as such, with confirmed exposures including documentation.)

Follow Julie MacLellan on Twitter @juliemaclellan.
Email Julie, jmaclellan@newwestrecord.ca.