The Kenora Catholic District School Board will be following guidelines from the Ministry of Education and the Northwestern Health Unit for the management of COVID-19 in schools.
Outbreak Protocol
As outlined in the Ministry of Health COVID-19 guidance: school case, contact, and outbreak management, an outbreak in a school are defined as two or more lab-confirmed COVID-19 cases in students or staff (or other visitors) in a school with an epidemiological link, within a 14-day period, where at least one case could have reasonably acquired their infection in the school (including transportation and before or after school care).
The Northwestern Health Unit will work with the school to determine whether epidemiological links (for example, cases in the same class, cases that are part of the same before and after school care cohort, cases that have assigned bus seats in close proximity to each other) exist between cases and whether transmission may have occurred in the school.
Additionally, public health is responsible for:
• determining if an outbreak exists
• declaring an outbreak
• providing direction on outbreak control measures to be implemented
• declaring that an outbreak is over
The public health unit will determine which cohort(s) may be sent home (for self-isolation) in response to a case, an outbreak or if full school closure is required based on the extent of an outbreak. In some instances, the local public health unit may give school Principals discretion, if necessary, to dismiss individuals or cohorts while awaiting the results of the public health investigation.
An outbreak can be declared over when:
• at least 14 days have passed with no evidence of ongoing transmission that could reasonably be related to exposures in the school
• no further ill or symptomatic individuals have been reported by the school who are associated with the initial exposed cohorts
Prevention and Outbreak Responsibilities
Schools are responsible for reporting:
• a confirmed COVID-19 case associated with the school to the Northwestern Health Unit and to the Ministry of Education through the daily reporting tool where they have become aware of such a case
• occupational illness to the Ministry of Labour, Training and Skills Development, as well as to the Joint Health and Safety Committee, the worker’s labour union (if any), and the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB)
• absenteeism to the Northwestern Health Unit and to the Ministry of Education through the daily reporting tool, in accordance with provincial and local public health direction.
The Northwestern Health Unit is responsible for:
• determining if an outbreak in a school exists
•managing the outbreak in collaboration with the school and other relevant partners
• providing direction on when cohorts of students can return to school or when the school can reopen
• conducting case and contact management activities
Measures will be taken to ensure privacy and avoid disclosure of details to the school community that would lead to the identification of a confirmed or probable COVID-19 case.
Note: an outbreak does not necessarily need to be declared over for the Northwestern Health Unit to recommend that the school reopen to some/all cohorts. Based on advice from the Northwestern Health Unit, cohorts without evidence of transmission can be gradually brought back to school as additional information, and test results become available. Basic preventive measures must be reinforced, and consideration should be given to implementing additional preventive measures and active surveillance as part of reopening.
Communicating with the School Community
Parents, students and staff have an understandable interest in knowing when a COVID-19 positive case has been identified in their school. The Kenora Catholic District School Board has a COVID-19 advisory section on its website where information and updates regarding confirmed cases of COVID-19 that involves a student or a staff member in a school setting will be posted.
No personal information will be made public. As cases for students or staff members are resolved, the board will update the COVID-19 advisory section of their website to remove information about these cases.
In the interests of privacy, information posted by boards to school communities will not identify the student or staff member that has received a positive COVID-19 test. If public health advises that a class, cohort or a school will be closed for a period of time, parents, students and staff will be notified immediately.
Notice of any closures of classes, cohorts or schools will be posted on school and school board COVID-19 advisory sections.