Hatzic Middle School has had another COVID-19 exposure event, according to Fraser Health.
The school had exposures on Nov. 3, 4 and 6, according to a Fraser Health notice sent out parents on Nov. 12. The letter does not say if it was a staff member, student or parent.
This was not three separate cases, but a single infected individual in the building on multiple days, said Angus Wilson, superintendent of the Mission School District.
This is the second exposure at the middle school, the first being on Oct. 5.
An “exposure event” is defined on the health authority’s website as “a single person with lab-confirmed COVID-19 infection who attended school during their infectious period.”
“Exposure events” are the most contained of such classifications, followed by “cluster events” (two or more individuals are infected), and “outbreak events” (infection and transmission are widespread).
A notification does not mean that other children at the school have been exposed to COVID-19.
If parents do not receive a phone call or letter from Public Health, their child should continue to attend school.
The COVID-19 school notification process consists of the following protocols:
• Contact tracing is initiated to determine how the individual was infected and who they were in close contact with.
• Close contacts who may be at an increased risk are identified and notified, and they are advised to self-isolate and monitor for symptoms for 14 days.
• Public Health determines who is a close contact. Learning groups, friends or other connections may be determined to not be a close contact.
• Public Health staff works closely with the school and school district throughout the case and contact management process to maintain close communication with the school community.
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