Four more cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed at schools in Moose Jaw.
Letters were sent on Nov. 10 from Riverview Collegiate, King George School, Westmount School and Sacred Heart School to parents announcing that an individual at each building had contracted COVID-19. The education directors for Prairie South School Division and Holy Trinity Roman Catholic School Division also confirmed to the Moose Jaw Express that one person at each school had been diagnosed with the virus.
This now means 10 individuals within Moose Jaw schools are known to have contracted the virus since Oct. 1.
Prairie South School Division
“I’m as concerned as everybody else in the province ought to be. We still are in pretty good shape in Prairie South in general,” said education director Tony Baldwin. “We have had a fair bit of action in the last week or two in Moose Jaw. We haven’t had any cases where there’s been transmission at school.
“That’s a good piece since it means our processes are working and that we have people in our buildings who are getting sick because they’ve had interactions with other sick people in places other than the school. It’s good news for us that we haven’t had anybody who’s gotten sick at school.”
Baldwin said he is worried about the health of students and staff, including those who are sick and those who were in close contact. However, division administration believes the situation is currently in hand and appreciates its relationship with local public health authorities.
School-based administrators have also done a great job providing leadership with their staff and their communities, he continued. They have helped people understand that the province is facing this same challenge, but Prairie South has a good plan and it’s working.
“We just need to keep moving forward and keep kids learning and we’ll get out the other side,” added Baldwin.
Holy Trinity Catholic School Division
It’s not unexpected that a case has popped up in Holy Trinity, especially with the numbers being seen across the province, said education director Sean Chase. While this is unfortunate, division administration is concerned about the safety of the individual involved and anyone else in close contact.
“We feel strongly that we are prepared to look after not just the safety of our students and staff, but also the ongoing attention to academics,” he added. “That’s really important as well.”
Coronavirus updates
The provincial government has a page on its website dedicated to schools and the pandemic. That page, titled Safe Schools Plan, can be found at www.saskachewan.ca.
