Severn Court outbreak grows to 44 cases
30 variant cases identified as city police, college continue investigations into Feb. 20 parties
The COVID-19 outbreak at the Severn Court student residence complex in Peterborough has grown to 44 cases with 30 of them screening as presumed variant cases of the virus.
Peterborough Public Health is also monitoring 40 high-risk contacts who live at the eight-building privately run complex on Wilfred Drive in the city’s southwest end along with more than 60 high-risk contacts in the community, medical officer of health Dr. Rosana Salvaterra told reporters Thursday during a weekly teleconference briefing on the COVID-19 pandemic.
The outbreak followed gatherings and parties at the student residence complex on Feb. 20 involving mainly Fleming College students, including some in health-care studies, along with some Trent University students.
Salvaterra also reported that the health unit has already had 10 new cases as of Thursday morning, on top of the 63 active cases reported as of Tuesday morning.
A presumed variant case means a second test needs to be taken to verify the mutation, she said, but each presumed case is most likely a variant case.
There have also been variant cases in the community not linked to the Severn Court outbreak, Salvaterra added.
Roommates of Severn Court cases have already been infected, she said. The health unit is continuing contact tracing.
Those who tested positive at Severn Court must self-isolate, while other residents of the complex can only leave for food or groceries.
Fleming College president Maureen Adamson told reporters the college is setting up tribunal hearings that will consider actions such as written reprimands, suspensions, behavioural contracts and expulsions against those responsible for the outbreak.
The college’s investigation has not yet identified the students.
The college will not be disclosing the names of the students or
the programs they are in, Adamson said.
City police and the health unit are also investigating the circumstances.
City police Chief Scott Gilbert said city police did receive a call about a noisy party on Feb. 20 at the student residence complex but when officers arrived at the time they found all was quiet.
Gilbert said the outbreak is an isolated incident that the individuals involved in are responsible for and that Fleming College is not responsible for it happening.
Insp. John Lyons is leading the city police investigation. He said investigators are trying to identify who was involved. Some are in isolation, making the investigation more difficult, while others have moved, he said. Some aren’t co-operating or are providing false information, he added.
Investigators are taking their time to get their findings right, Lyons said. There is no rush to charge people, he said, and all avenues need to be investigated before charges are laid.
Those violating the provincial COVID-19 rules on gathering limits face $880 tickets, he said.
Anyone charged will have to appear in court, Gilbert said, because the seven-day period from the date of an offence to just get a ticket and pay it has already expired.
There is also potential for the justice of the peace to issue a harsher penalty, Lyons said.
The college has shut down inperson classes and suspended community work placements for students for two weeks.
Salvaterra also said Fleming College students are also being warned about the dangers of using an advertised ride-share services that offers to shuttle students daily between Fleming College and Brampton, which remains under a stay-athome order even after the provincewide lockdown ended on Feb. 16.
Charge laid, warning issued for ignoring orders
Peterborough Public Health has laid a charge and issued a formal warning involving two different orders for people who tested positive for COVID-19 who were required to self-isolate.
The health unit received information Tuesday that an individual who tested positive for COVID-19 had breached selfisolation requirements, the health unit reported Thursday.
The investigation determined the person had failed to comply with the Oct. 13 Section 22 Class Order for self-isolation, a release from the health unit states. A charge was laid Tuesday under the Health Protection and Promotion Act, resulting in a total fine of $880.
Another person was also investigated for breaching Part 2 of the Section 22 Class Order issued on Feb. 27 to residents of Severn Court student residence complex in Peterborough following the outbreak there.
There was not enough evidence to lay a charge in that case, the release states, so a formal warning was issued instead.
The health unit plans to continue to investigate complaints about people who are not complying with self-isolation requirements.
“With the increase in presumed variants of concern (VOC), self-isolation is critical in order to protect the community at large,” the health unit’s news release states.
“Breach of self-isolation is a serious offence and will be met with consequences.”
Complaints can be reported online at peterboroughpublichealth.ca using an online form.
Move to red zone possible
Peterborough city and county, Curve Lake First Nation and Hiawatha First Nation are currently in the yellow protect zone, but that is expected to change soon because of the surge in local cases related to the Severn Court outbreak, she said.
The Peterborough case rate is now around 40 cases per 100,000 people which is at the threshold for being in the red control zone, she said.
The provincial government has already been looking at the data in Peterborough, she said, but there is no word when a decision will be made.
Apart from the provincewide lockdowns, Peterborough has yet to be in the orange, red or grey zone restrictions so far during the pandemic.