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Two more COVID-19 exposures at Mission schools

There have been 5 exposures in 3 schools since Oct. 5
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This is the fifth school exposure in the district, and the third school. There were three exposures in a row at Hatzic Middle School, followed by this week’s cases. Kevin Mills Photo.

There have been two more COVID-19 exposures at Mission schools.

Mission Central Elementary and Christine Morrison Elementary both had exposures on Nov. 16. Superintendent Angus Wilson said Fraser Health notified him today and yesterday about the cases.

“What is interesting is the Christine Morrison [case] appears to have been a visitor, because there was no follow up with, you know, Class X, or anything,” Wilson said. “The schools have a process where we tell staff, and then a half hour or so after … They send a [notification] out to the parent community.”

If the exposure affects a specific classroom, administration follows up with the teacher and then a second letter is sent out to parents notifying of there is a potential spread within the classroom.

This is the fifth school exposure in the district, and the third school. There were three exposures in a row at Hatzic Middle School, followed by this week’s cases.

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.

RELATED: Another COVID-19 exposure at Mission’s Hatzic Middle School

RELATED: Individual with confirmed case of COVID-19 at Mission school