Second Confirmed Case of COVID-19 at St. Elizabeth CES in Bowmanville

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Sept. 23, 2021,

The following letter was sent to families at St. Elizabeth CES in Bowmanville, informing the school community about a second positive case of COVID-19 at the school.

 

Dear parents, guardians and staff, 

As always, the well-being of our students and staff is our top priority. With that in mind, we are letting you know that the Durham Region Health Department has notified us of a second confirmed case of COVID-19 at St. Elizabeth Catholic Elementary School. The identity of the individual is protected by privacy legislation and will not be shared.

What we can share is that the individual is isolating at home. They will remain at home until Durham Health advises they may return to school. We are working closely with Durham Health to identify anyone at the school who may have been exposed to the individual while they were infectious. On behalf of Durham Health, we will be notifying all identified contacts with a separate notice to advise them of next steps.

You may have noticed that outbreak signage was posted at the school this morning. This was a result of a miscommunication between Durham Health and the school. Durham Health has determined that the two cases currently at the school do not meet the criteria of a COVID-19 outbreak. We apologize for any confusion and concern this may have caused.

Our school remains open, and as always, we continue to follow all public health and provincial recommendations, including thorough cleaning and disinfecting of all areas; frequent and proper handwashing by everyone in the building; wearing masks; maintaining physical distancing to the fullest extent possible, and following any other steps directed by Durham Health. 

We continue to ask all students and staff to complete the daily self-assessment for symptoms before arriving at school: https://covid-19.ontario.ca/school-screening

We will let families know of any further developments. Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Sincerely,

 

Gerard van den Wildenberg
Principal