Courtice school shut down after ‘facility-wide COVID-19 outbreak’
Published September 27, 2021 at 8:59 am
Durham Region has its first school closure of the new school year with the closing of Monsignor Leo Cleary Catholic Elementary School in Courtice, following an outbreak that began September 16.
The COVID-19 outbreak grew from two students to 11 in multiple classrooms, forcing the Durham Region Health Department and the Peterborough Victoria Northumberland and Clarington School Board to issue a letter to parents, staff, and students that the school would be closed to in-person learning “effective immediately.”
There were ten school closures in Durham schools last school year, with most occurring in the spring during the third wave of the virus.
The letter, signed by school principal Linda Bier, said the Region’s health department declared a “facility-wide COVID-19 outbreak” at the school, forcing its shutdown, “to prevent further spread of COVID-19 within the school setting.
The closure will last at least two weeks.
All students will transition to virtual learning and will be contacted by teachers this morning with instructions to begin the transition.
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Health Department officials are now informing those identified as close contacts so they can self-isolate for 10 days. Anyone else who attended the school between September 19 to September 24 are still considered at risk for exposure and should self-monitor for COVID-19 signs and symptoms for 10 days from their last day of attendance at the school.
Durham Health is also strongly recommending that all staff and students get tested for the virus. To get tested, go to covidswab.lh.ca or call Durham Health Connection Line at 905-668-2020 or 1-800-841-2729.
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