A St. Michaels University School student at the junior campus in Oak Bay has tested positive for COVID-19.
Head of School Mark Turner addressed the case in a letter to parents on Saturday.
“We have been informed that a member of the junior school at the Victoria Avenue campus has tested positive for COVID-19. All students, faculty and staff from the middle and senior schools, on our Richmond Road campus, can be assured there has been no risk to them from this exposure and therefore school will resume as normal on Monday morning,” Turner wrote.
Spokesperson Stuart Hill declined to comment further on how the quarantine situation will work for students and staff of the junior campus.
It’s the second outbreak of COVID-19 to affect Victoria schools since the Jan. 4 restart. The childcare behind Cloverdale elementary shut down last week due to four cases, two children and two staff members.
READ ALSO: Families warned of positive COVID-19 cases at Cloverdale daycare in Saanich
Due to the potential exposure of siblings, St. Christopher’s Montessori in Oak Bay sent a letter to its parents that it has closed its doors on Monday. St. Christopher’s had two families come forward who have older siblings in the same SMUS cohort as the student who tested positive. The Montessori school is undergoing a precautionary deep clean and will reopen Tuesday. It is encouraging parents to make the decision as to whether they should send their back child to school starting Jan. 12.
Turner said SMUS’ COVID-19 response committee met on Saturday to gather expert advice from Island Health.
SMUS junior school parents will receive a message directly from Island Health if their child is considered high-risk and is required to self-isolate.
“All other students and staff can be reassured that they are not required to self-isolate; however, everyone should continue monitoring for symptoms, in keeping with our existing expectations,” the SMUS letter said.
Island Health remains responsible for all contact tracing.
“We have been preparing for this moment for some time. We feel that with an appropriate sense of perspective, we will be able to move on with priority given to safety, a continued progression for the majority in the classroom, and a hope and expectation that perhaps with a vaccine in the future, we will be able to take further steps toward normality,” Turner wrote.
READ MORE: COVID-19 reported at Vancouver Island high school
A student at the St. Michaels University School junior campus has tested positive with COVID-19. (Travis Paterson/News Staff)
