Five Delta public schools are on Fraser Health’s latest list of schools having exposures to the coronavirus.
According to the FHA, which updated its list Monday morning, Sands Secondary had an exposure Jan. 18, 25, and 26, while North Delta Secondary had an exposure event Jan. 20, 21 and 25.
The elementary schools on the list include McCloskey (Jan. 26, 27, 28) Hawthorne (Jan. 21) and Chalmers (Jan. 26, 27).
No Delta schools are reported as having outbreaks or clusters and there’s no indication, so far, that any Delta schools have had an exposure to the coronavirus variant.
BCTF president Teri Mooring this week on Twitter said with news of the first possible exposure from a variant in a B.C. school, districts and health authorities must do more, adding “the status quo is not good enough.”
In a recent interview, Delta Teachers’ Association president Susan Yao, noting teachers continue to press for mandatory masks and smaller cohorts, said the possibility of the COVID-19 variant emerging in schools is a big concern.
“While the PHO (public health officer) has not yet added mask-wearing measures for K-12 students, except in certain circumstances, like areas of cohorts mixing such as in hallways at secondary schools, the addition of mandatory mask-wearing as another layer of protection is what teachers are asking for. At this time it is not possible for physical-distancing measures to work in most elementary and secondary classes, so that layer of protection is often not available for teachers and students. With the rise of the variant that is far more transmissible, masks and smaller classes are ever more critical to keep everyone safe."
Fraser Health has confirmed an individual at Garibaldi Secondary in Maple Ridge who tested positive for COVID-19 was also in close contact with a person who has a variant of the virus.
The FHA and school district are arranging for testing for staff and students who may have been in contact with that school case, but the school remains open.
