York school reopens after COVID-19 outbreak

Elder’s Mills closed after infections among six students, three staff

A York Region school reopened Wednesday after being closed for more than a week due to a COVID-19 outbreak.

Elder’s Mills Public School, a French-immersion elementary school in Woodbridge, had seven confirmed cases of COVID-19 which prompted its closing on Nov. 2.

Updated data from the York Region public health unit shows six students and three staff members were infected at the school, near Rutherford Road and Highway 27.

“The closure was a result of a challenge in finding replacement coverage teachers for those that were advised by public health to self-isolate,” Licinio Miguelo, senior manager of corporate communications at York Region District School

d, told the Star in an email. Learning had continued online, Miguelo said.

The news comes as Ontario is reporting an additional 198 new cases in public schools across the province, bringing the total in the past two weeks to 1,033 and 3,063 overall since school began.

In its latest data released Wednesday morning, the province reported 116 more students were infected for a total of 616 in the past two weeks; since school began there have been an overall total of 1,743.

The data shows there are 21 more staff members infected for a total of 104 in the past two weeks — and an overall total of 383.

The latest report also shows 61 more infected individuals who weren’t identified for a total of 313 in that category in the past two weeks — and an overall tott al of 937. There are 654 schools with a reported case, which the province notes is 13.55 per cent of the 4,828 public schools in Ontario. Two schools are closed because of an outbreak, one less than the day before because of the reopening of Elder’s Mills.