COVID-19 cases linked to Kleefeld, St Pierre, Mitchell schools

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 14/10/2020 (1997 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Kleefeld and St Pierre were home to the first public schools in the Southeast to be linked to cases of COVID-19, with Mitchell following only days later.

Kleefeld School was named Friday as the site of possible COVID-19 exposure on Oct. 1 and Oct. 2.

Two days later, Ecole Heritage Immersion in St Pierre was listed as a site of possible exposure on Sept. 29 and Sept. 30.

Mitchell Middle School was identified as a site of possible exposure late Tuesday. The exposure took place Oct. 7-9 and the risk of this exposure is assessed to be low.

Public health investigators believe all the infections were not acquired at school, the province said in three news releases.

In Kleefeld, a member of the school’s Grade 1 cohort “may have been infectious” while at the school on the two days in question, Southern Health said in a letter to parents and guardians.

Contact tracers reached out to close contacts of the individual and advised the cohort to self-isolate and transition to remote learning.

In a website bulletin, Hanover School Division said affected areas of the school underwent a deep cleaning that included additional sanitizing of high-touch surfaces and the use of a disinfectant fogger.

In St Pierre, close contacts of the case there were also instructed to self-isolate. No further information on the infection was provided by the province, the school, or Red River Valley School Division.

Hanover School Division Interim Superintendent Shelley Amos said the division will not release further information or confirm if the case involved a student or staff member. “It’s up to public health if they want to do any further identification, but the school division cannot,” she said.

The goal right now is to continue to keep people informed. Amos said they had notified parents in Kleefeld, even before the public health letter came out.

“They were quite appreciative of the transparent and quick communication that we gave out,” she said. “I think that the community appreciated hearing that quickly from us so they could make informed decisions for themselves later the next day.”

Amos said in Kleefeld, they experienced about 30 percent absenteeism the day following the announcement but said attendance numbers bounced back shortly after.

Communication will continue to be key for the school division when dealing with parents or staff.

“We are thankful for the feedback we get from our community and we’re working hard to get quick communication and accurate communication out to families so they’re informed and we thank them for their support,” she said.

Last Thursday, the province also advised of possible COVID-19 exposure at The Edge Lounge and Nightclub at the Frantz Inn on Oct. 4 between the hours of 2 p.m. and 6 p.m.

Steinbach’s drive-thru COVID-19 testing site was one of several across the province that remained open over the Thanksgiving long weekend.

Manitoba recorded 228 new cases of the virus over the long weekend. Four new deaths, all in Winnipeg, were also reported, including a man in his 40s who is the youngest person to die from COVID-19 in Manitoba. Wednesday’s numbers showed 146 new cases and two new deaths bringing the total to 37. There are currently 1,374 active cases, 27 people in hospital and three in intensive care. 1,514 have recovered.