A middle school in Greater Victoria has been added to Island Health’s COVID-19 exposure list.
According to a notice on Island Health’s website, Cedar Hill Middle School — located at 3910 Cedar Hill Rd. — has experienced a COVID-19 exposure event on Mar. 29.
Cedar Hill Middle School has experienced a COVID-19 exposure. The potential date of exposure is March 29th, 2021. Island Health is completing contact tracing to identify any individuals that need to self-isolate or self-monitor for symptoms. pic.twitter.com/BedyvDW6Kn
— Greater Victoria SD (@sd61schools) April 2, 2021
The news was confirmed on social media as the Greater Victoria School District (SD61) tweeted out suggesting that Island Health was in the midst of completing contract tracing.
According to Island Health, exposure is defined as a single person with a lab-confirmed COVID-19 infection who attended school during their infectious period.
This marks the third school added to Island Health’s exposure list this week, the week that students returned to the classroom following spring break.
Cedar Hill Middle School joins Oak Bay Secondary School in Greater Victoria and Wellington Secondary in Nanaimo on the school exposures list.
Earlier this week, Island Health cautioned parents, students, and school staff that COVID-19 exposures would be on the rise in the weeks to come.
A letter sent from Island Health to various school districts on March 28 warns that the region has been “experiencing a higher number of coronavirus cases in the past few weeks,” many of which have reported higher-than-normal social contacts while infectious.
“Accordingly, we are now seeing the number of children with coronavirus on the rise,” Island Health said. “All signs indicate that there will be significant numbers of exposures at schools in the weeks to come.”
As such, the health authority is asking parents and guardians to remind their kids of proper safety protocols, including frequent hand-washing, physical distancing and mask-wearing.
Island Health notes that if a parent or guardian sees a notification on the health authority’s school exposure site, it does not necessarily mean their child has been exposed to COVID-19.
Island Health outlines that Public Health members work with the school and school district to ensure close contacts are notified directly and provided specific guidance.
If a parent or guardian does not receive a phone call or letter from Public Health, a child can continue to attend school, Island Health notes.
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