Second school reports local COVID-19 outbreak
The local health unit has declared a COVID-19 outbreak at another elementary school in Windsor.
At least two students in the same class at W. J. Langlois Catholic Elementary School have tested positive, the Windsor-essex County Health Unit reported on Thursday. Investigators believe transmission happened within the classroom, leading to the declaration of an outbreak.
Roughly 20 people considered high-risk contacts of a positive COVID-19 case have been self-isolating in their homes since Nov. 12 when the first student tested positive. Because the outbreak is limited to one class, the health unit has determined there is no need to close the entire school.
“It is essential for the students to self-monitor for COVID-19 symptoms every day. If you have any symptoms, go get tested,” said Dr. Wajid Ahmed, medical officer of health with WECHU.
All other staff and students are currently deemed low risk and are advised to monitor themselves for symptoms of COVID-19. They should contact their health-care provider and an assessment centre if they do develop symptoms.
In a news release on Thursday, the Windsor-essex Catholic District School Board said it has sent a voice message to the entire school community informing parents about the situation and reassuring them the school remains open.
“We are working closely with the Windsor-essex County Health Unit to manage the outbreak, further limit the spread of infection, and ensure ongoing measures are maintained to protect students and employees,” the release said.
“The health and safety of students and staff at W J Langlois elementary school community remains our top priority,” said Terry Lyons, director of education with the school board. “We will continue to work with public health to keep the school community informed about the outbreak and implement all necessary additional health and safety measures to clean and disinfect the school.”
A followup letter was also sent home with students on Thursday to inform parents and guardians of the situation.
Langlois is the second school in the region to experience an official outbreak. F. W. Begley Public School was closed on Wednesday and will remain closed for at least 14 days under direction from the WECHU after three staff members tested positive for COVID-19.
A school outbreak is declared if there are two or more cases in a school and if there is evidence that at least one case could have been infected in the school.
Any parents, guardians or school staff with questions should contact the WECHU health schools department at 519-258-2146 ext. 1555. No further information about the school cases or contacts will be disclosed publicly, the health unit said.
Meanwhile, three locations have been added to the Windsor-essex County Health Unit's list of places where there was potential public exposure to COVID-19.
In an update on Thursday night, the WECHU identified Riverplace Residence, Babylon Hall, and Food Basics in Tecumseh as places with recent exposures.
The health unit noted that the exposure risk at all three locations should be considered low, but public notification was necessary as a precautionary measure.
Anyone who attended any of the locations on the dates and times mentioned should monitor themselves for COVID-19 symptoms over a 14-day period after they were there.
Riverplace Residence ( 245 Detroit St.) is a housing complex in Windsor's west end. The COVID-19 exposure is specifically associated with meetings in the games room that occurred on Nov. 9, 10, and 12 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Babylon Hall (2503 Dougall Ave.) is an event space that is part of Dougall Plaza. The COVID-19 exposure is related to an event attended by guests on Nov. 7, from 7 p.m. to 11:45 p.m. The Tecumseh location of Food Basics grocery store (1655 Manning Rd.) had potential COVID-19 exposure on Nov. 17, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
The health unit's advisory comes in the midst of a surge of new COVID-19 cases across Windsor-essex.
From Nov. 12 to Nov. 19, the health unit has reported 197 new cases.
The region's cumulative case count since the start of the pandemic is 3,165, as of Thursday morning.
Earlier this week, the provincial government moved Windsor-essex from “green” status to “yellow” status on the Ontario COVID-19 response framework.