A COVID-19 exposure at Hatzic Elementary has caused a number of staff to self-isolate, and remote learning to take place for the next week.
The exposure occurred on April 29 and 30, and the Mission School District is acting “out of an abundance of caution,” said Superintendent Angus Wilson on social media. Instruction is taking place online until May 14.
Last month, the number of exposures in Abbotsford and Mission schools reached an all-time high.
RELATED: Seven Mission schools flagged for COVID-19 exposures since April 1
RELATED: Abbotsford schools experiencing all-time high in COVID-19 exposures
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.