After Covid outbreaks at several schools in Grey Bruce in recent days, the region’s medical officer of health is assuring schools continue to be one of the safest places to attend and to work.
Dr. Ian Arra issued a statement Tuesday evening saying only about a dozen Covid cases have been acquired in the school environment over the entire pandemic in Grey Bruce.
Arra says Public Health has not directed the closure of any school in the region.
“Schools remain one of the safest places to work and attend during Covid-19 in Grey and Bruce,” Arra says in a release. “They are definitely safer than our homes.”
The Bruce-Grey Catholic District School Board made the decision to close St. Mary’s High School in Owen Sound to in-person learning this week and shifted online due to an outbreak. Holland Chatsworth Central School was closed on Monday for operational reasons, reportedly because some staff refused work over Covid concerns.
The outbreak at Holland Chatsworth School has since been declared over.
A statement from the Grey Bruce Health Unit says that outbreak involved only three Covid cases acquired in the school environment, and nine others who attend the school but were infected in the community.
The Health Unit says any school closure by Public Health will be based on stringent risk assessment and best public health practice.
“This outbreak did not meet the criteria for school closure from a Public Health regulatory and risk perspective,” a release from the Grey Bruce Health Unit says.
Public Health says there remains robust daily screen, enhanced infection control practices and other regulations in place at schools to maintain safety.