Thursday September 30, 2021 | VANCOUVER ISLAND, BC [Update at 7:35 pm – Dr Henry and Health Minister Jennifer Whiteside will make a COVID-in-schools health and safety announcement at 10:30 am on Fri Oct 1, 2021]
by Mary P Brooke, B.Sc., Editor | Island Social Trends
Island Health is posting potential COVID exposures in schools again this year (2021-2022 academic school year). This year the list is organized by school district, which makes it easier for parents to find the local school(s) of their child(ren).
“Public Health works directly with school staff to identify anyone who may have been exposed, and to carry out case and contact management,” says Island Health on their school exposures page.
“Those identified as cases will be instructed to self-isolate directly by our Public Health teams. Those identified as close contacts may be asked to self-isolate or closely self-monitor for symptoms for a specified period.”
Island Health says the Island Health school exposures page is for information purposes only and is updated after direct communication with affected individuals has occurred. Any delay in posting an exposure to the page is not indicative of a delay in the Public Health process of contact tracing and case management.
Prevention measures in schools:
COVID prevention measures in schools are posted on the BC CDC website. That includes mask-wearing for students in Grades 4 to 12, frequent hand washing or use of hand sanitizers, and reducing unnecessary large-group contact. But there are no cohorts (smaller identified class groupings), and children in K-Grade 3 are not required to wear masks.
Everyone eligible is expected to get two doses of COVID-19 vaccine. That would include teachers, administrators and support staff, and by extension also parents.
Public health conducts contact tracing for every case of COVID-19.
Currently 18 schools with potential exposures:
Currently there are 18 schools on Vancouver Island listed as having potential exposures. Seven of those are in SD61 Victoria, with one in SD62 Sooke/Westshore, one in SD63 Saanich, and two in Cowichan Valley SD79.
As well there are two schools in Nanaimo-Ladysmith (SD68) with potential exposures, one in Port Alberni, one in Comox, two in Campbell River, and one at École Victor-Brodeur in Victoria.
Most of the listed schools are elementary level (K to Grade 5), with two middle schools listed (Grades 6 to 8). Campbell River Christian School and École Victor-Brodeur have students in K-12.
Here is the full list (as of 4:35 pm on Thursday September 30, 2021):
School District 61
| School name | Dates of Potential Exposure |
|---|---|
| Sir James Douglas Elementary Victoria | September 17, 20, 21, 2021 (Cluster) |
| Tillicum Community SchoolVictoria | September 20, 21, 22, 23, 2021 (Cluster) |
| Cloverdale Traditional ElementaryVictoria | September 15, 16, 20, 21, 22, 2021 (Cluster) |
| Quadra ElementaryVictoria | September 13, 14, 15, 20, 2021 |
| Torquay ElementaryVictoria | September 22, 23, 24, 2021 |
| École MacaulayVictoria | September 20, 21, 22, 23, 2021 |
| Gordon Head Middle SchoolVictoria | September 22, 23, 24, 2021 |
School District 62
| School name | Dates of Potential Exposure |
|---|---|
| École PoirierSooke | September 16, 17, 20, 21, 22, 23, 2021 (Cluster) |
School District 63
| School name | Dates of Potential Exposure |
|---|---|
| Deep Cove ElementaryNorth Saanich | September 20, 22, 2021 (Cluster) |
School District 64
| School name | Dates of Potential Exposure |
|---|---|
School District 68
| School name | Dates of Potential Exposure |
|---|---|
| Pleasant Valley ElementaryNanaimo | September 14, 15, 16, 17, 20, 21, 22, 24, 2021 (Cluster) |
| Cinnabar Valley ElementaryNanaimo | September 20, 21, 23, 24, 2021 |
School District 69
| School name | Dates of Potential Exposure |
|---|---|
School District 70
| School name | Dates of Potential Exposure |
|---|---|
| EJ DunnPort Alberni | September 15, 16, 17, 20, 21, 2021 (Cluster) |
School District 71
| School name | Dates of Potential Exposure |
|---|---|
| Brooklyn ElementaryComox | September 15, 16, 17, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 2021 (Cluster) |
School District 72
| School name | Dates of Potential Exposure |
|---|---|
| École Phoenix Middle School Campbell River | September 20, 21, 2021 |
| Campbell River Christian SchoolCampbell River | September 15, 16, 17, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 2021 (Cluster) |
School District 79
| School name | Dates of Potential Exposure |
|---|---|
| Tansor ElementaryDuncan | September 9, 10, 13, 16, 17, 20, 21, 2021 (Cluster) |
| Mt Prevost ElementaryDuncan | September 16, 23, 24, 2021 (Cluster) |
School District 84
| School name | Dates of Potential Exposure |
|---|---|
School District 85
| School name | Dates of Potential Exposure |
School District 93 (Le Conseil scolaire francophone de la Colombie-Britannique)
| School name | Dates of Potential Exposure |
|---|---|
| École Victor-BrodeurVictoria | September 7, 8, 13, 16, 17, 2021 (Cluster) |
If no direct contact from Public Health:
If you have not been notified by Public Health by phone or by letter that you or your child need to self-isolate, you/they may continue to attend school as long as you/they are not experiencing any symptoms.
Monitor for symptoms:
As always, monitor yourself and your child for symptoms of COVID-19. You can use the daily health check form found at http://www.bccdc.ca/schools or the self-assessment tool available at bc.thrive.health.
Mask mandate:
The mask mandate in BC schools is for Grades 4 to 12 at this time.
Parents and the BC Teachers Federation are pushing for masks being mandatory in K to Grade 3 as well, given that children under age 12 are not yet eligible for COVID vaccination.
COVID vaccination is expected to come this fall for children ages 5 to 11, said Dr Henry earlier this week. Quite possibly the shots will be a half-dose compared to what adults and teens have been receiving, she said.
===== RELATED:
Vaccines effective for at least 4 months, boosters very likely to come (September 29, 2021)
SD62 dealing with COVID in schools as kids 5-11 remain unvaccinated (September 28, 2021)
BCTF Fall 2021: wants better protections & return-to-school caution (September 6, 2021)