COVID-19 cases and classroom closures at Hamilton schools: Sept. 13

Hamilton | Ontario | COVID | Latest News |

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Published September 13, 2021 at 6:03 pm

The latest COVID-19 advisory from Hamilton’s Catholic school board says that 13 classes or cohorts have been closed by the public health unit.

Ten of those are in the secondary school system.

The Hamilton-Wentworth Catholic District School Board (HWCDSB) and Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board (HWDSB) are providing daily updates on active cases among students and staff. Cases are not necessarily transmitted in the schools, and are often transmitted elsewhere in the community.

The Ontario Ministry of Education, under Education Minister Stephen Lecce, along with boards of education and public health units across Ontario have emphasized keeping schools open as long as possible during the fourth wave of the pandemic. The principle is known as ‘first to open, last to close.’ The plan, for now, has to be close elementary school classes or close a cohort in a secondary school, where students are taking only two classes per day in a quadmester format.

The HWCSDB’s advisory page says that there were three new cases among students reported on Monday (Sept. 13). In each case, the student’s last day in attendance was last Friday.

One case is at St. Francis Xavier elementary in Stoney Creek. The other new cases are each involved with high schools: St. Thomas More, and Cardinal Newman in Stoney Creek.

Ten of the 13 closed classes or cohorts in the HWCSDB are in secondary schools. St. Thomas More accounts for five, Cardinal Newman has three and St. Jean de Brébeuf has two.

The closed classrooms in the elementary system are at Blessed Sacrament, St. Francis Xavier and St. Gabriel. One classroom is closed at each school.

The HWDSB has reports of two new cases, both at Shannen Koostachin Elementary School. There is no accompanying list of closed classrooms and cohorts.

“We will inform the individuals impacted immediately and share with the school community on this web page and on the school website,” it says.

The boards’ lists may not include cases from early last week that are considered resolved.

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