If they did – an entire classroom of elementary students and staff in Vancouver has reportedly been asked to stay home and self-isolate after a possible COVID-19 exposure on the cohort Sept. 22, 23, and 24.
According to a notice which appears to have been issued days after, on Oct. 3, by Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) the decision was “based on new information regarding the original exposure."
"That's the reality about how we are able to find people and do contract tracing," Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said Monday.
Henry said during a news conference that several full classes have been asked to "go home" as a result of COVID-19 exposure in the health authority.
A VCH spokesperson confirmed with Vancouver Is Awesome that an in-class COVID-19 exposure at Elsie Roy has been made public on its new school exposures site but said the health authority couldn't comment directly on the letter circulating.
#bcpoli Breaking News. All staff and children in a class at Elsie Roy Elementary on Drake Street in Vancouver have been told to isolate for 14 days. @pattibacchus @LizaYuzda @bctf pic.twitter.com/iZ3JyL3Ck6
— Salim Jiwa (@realreporter) October 5, 2020
It appears that any staff or students part of the learning cohort at Elsie Roy Elementary are being asked to self-monitor for the novel coronavirus and get tested if symptoms manifest themselves.
“If you develop symptoms… go and get tested and bring a copy of this letter with you to the testing site,” reads the letter, addressed to students and teachers.
The health authority has not disclosed any further information but released this statement to the media:
"Vancouver Coastal Health cannot comment on specific cases in schools or on specific cases in the community. We respect patient confidentiality at all times and rely on it for our public health response, so people feel safe co-operating with our teams and don’t face stigma from the public or school community."
It added that during the pandemic, "protecting a patient’s confidentiality is critical and enables us to track and limit the spread of COVID-19."
"VCH is committed to posting school exposures and outbreaks on our website. We want to reassure parents, students, and staff that even in situations where we post an exposure, all close contacts would have received direct notification by phone or letter."
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