

It was like surprise news and we hope everything will go back normal soon," Khayou said. Noor Khayou, who has daughters in grades 3 and 4 also said the closure came as a surprise.

"I don’t know who’s leading and making these decisions but it’s confusing."

"I got a call and a voice message basically saying that my son is high risk but his brother who lives with him isn’t considered high risk and it seems like there was some miscommunication or it wasn’t very clear on whether he goes into school or not," Sharma said. Sharma said one son is considered high risk, but the other is not, which has created some confusion. "When your life’s already chaotic with everything that’s going on, to add this to it is difficult." "Having something sprung on you without really being prepared, it’s difficult to manage," said Amit Sharma, who has sons in Grade 2 and 3 at the school. Parents who spoke to CTV News Ottawa say the closure of the school is stressful. Other members of the household also need to self-isolate if they are not fully vaccinated and/or if they have symptoms. "For the duration of the outbreak, OPH recommends that staff and students of this school not visit older persons or those with chronic illness," the letter to families said.Ĭhildren and family members who develop symptoms of COVID-19 have been told to isolate at home and seek testing immediately. Testing recommendations for other students and staff will be communicated through the school. OPH said that staff and students who are not high-risk contacts must self-monitor closely for symptoms of COVID-19 and that testing recommendations were provided to high-risk contacts. "If you have not received communication from OPH directly, you or your child do NOT need to isolate." "OPH will contact you directly if you or your child are identified as high-risk contacts and include further instruction," the health unit said. Ottawa Public Health, meanwhile, is reaching out to high-risk contacts directly. This should be a relatively seamless transition from in-school learning to learning online learning," said Sharlene Hunter.
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The students are well versed in how to use Hapara, where their daily work is provided. Most educators post resources on the learning management system to prepare for a class or school closure, even when students attend in person. "All of our staff have received training on using the learning management system known as Hapara. It’s unclear how long the school closure will last, but OPH sent a letter to parents and guardians suggesting they should be prepared for 10 days or longer.Ī spokesperson for the Ottawa Catholic School Board expects a smooth transition to online learning during the outbreak. The board says OPH will continue to work with the school to monitor the situation. "There were more than one cohort where people had tested positive and then we were starting to see other children in different cohorts test positive without a link back to those cohorts where we had identified a need for them to isolate," said Etches on Wednesday. Vera Etches says the school was shutdown after cases were found without links. This is the first school in the OCSB and the first in Ottawa that has been closed because of COVID-19 so far this school year.Īfter school on Tuesday, OPH officials were at the school handing out COVID-19 testing kits to high-risk contacts and individuals and family members who are symptomatic. One parent tells CTV News Ottawa a positive test result was reported in her child's Grade 4 class. The whole school has been closed, out of an abundance of caution, as our investigation suggests that there is evidence of the spread of COVID-19 to several cohorts in the school.”Ĭases were first indentified in kindergarten cohorts. In an updated emailed statement Tuesday night, the board said, “Upon further investigation, OPH has declared an extension to the outbreak. Tuesday, at least 13 cases of COVID-19 had been confirmed at the school. The Ottawa Catholic School Board says Ottawa Public Health has declared an outbreak at St. A Barrhaven school has been closed following a COVID-19 outbreak.
