R.D. Parker Collegiate said in a message to parents and guardians Feb. 17 that at least one person with a confirmed case of COVID-19 in the L-Z cohort of students was in the school Feb. 10.
"After contact tracing, we have concluded that there were no close contacts identified,” said an email from RDPC principal Bonnie Rempel. “RDPC will continue to work closely with public health to ensure that safety protocols are adhered to on a daily basis.”
Overall there have now been at least 13 notifications about possible public exposures to COVID-19 at School District of Mystery Lake schools, including five at RDPC, three at Westwood School, two at Wapanohk Community School, and one each at Burntwood, Deerwood and École Riverside. Wapanohk had offered remote learning only for all students, except those who are high risk, have special needs or have parents who are essential workers, since school resumed after the Christmas break up until Feb. 16, when it began offering a blended learning model similar to the one at RDPC, where half the students from kindergarten to Grade 6 attend in person on Monday and Tuesday and the other half on Thursday and Friday. Grade 7 and 8 students continue with remote learning only.
According to information made public by the province, there were 16 COVID-19 cases connected to students and staff at six SDML schools in the two weeks leading up to Feb. 9. That was up from six cases at four schools over the two weeks leading up to Feb. 3. Wapanohk had the most associated cases in the two weeks before Feb. 9, at five, while there were four at École Riverside, three at RDPC and one each at Burntwood, Westwood and Deerwood schools.
According to a crowdsourced document listing COVID-19 cases associated with Manitoba schools, there have been 42 cases of the virus connected to staff and students at SDML schools since the school year began, including 18 at Wapanohk, eight at RDPC, six at Westwood, six at Riverside, two at Deerwood and two at Burntwood. A case being connected to a school doesn’t mean that the virus was acquired pr transmitted at school and not all school-connected cases result in notifications being sent to parents.
Anyone who develops fever or chills, a cough, a sore throat or hoarse voice, shortness of breath, loss of taste or smell, or vomiting or diarrhea for more than 24 hours is instructed to isolate from others and seek COVID-19 testing within 24 hours after symptoms appear. The same advice applies to anyone who gets two or more of the following symptoms: runny nose, muscle aches, fatigue, pink eye, a headache, a skin rash of unknown cause or a loss of appetite.
Those with symptoms who do not get tested must self-isolate for 10 days following the start of symptoms. Isolation can be discontinued after 10 days if the person has been symptom-free for 24 hours.
People with COVID-19 may be infectious for two days before they begin showing symptoms.
