A potential COVID-19 exposure on Jan. 4, 5, and 8, has taken place at Barriere Secondary advised principal Angela Stott in a letter to student families on Jan. 10.
“A member of the Barriere Secondary School community has tested positive for COVID-19,” wrote Stott, “They are self-isolating at home with support from local public health teams.
“We are supporting Interior Health Authority as they undertake contact tracing to determine if any other members of our school community were in contact with the person who tested positive for COVID-19, and if any additional steps are required. We are following the protocol established for these circumstances.”
Stott advises that at this time the health authority is performing contact tracing, and the health authority will determine if anyone in the school community was in contact with the person who tested positive for COVID-19 while they were potentially infectious. The health authority will determine if anyone in the school community is a close contact that is required to self-isolate, and only the health authority can determine who is a close contact.
To ensure personal privacy rights are maintained, the school will not be providing additional details.
“If you are not contacted by Interior Health Authority, it has been determined that your child is not at risk of developing COVID-19,” writes Stott, “The safety and well-being of our students, families and staff remains our highest priority. Please be reassured that our school will continue to implement the strict protocols and procedures we have in place so that children can continue to attend school as safely as possible.”
Students are advised to continue attending school while contact tracing is underway, and families are reminded to continue daily health checks to monitor for illness in the household.
“We will continue to work closely with Interior Health Authority to provide ongoing communication as required,” concluded Stott.
If a student or teacher receives a confirmed positive COVID-19 test result, contact tracing takes place to determine how the person was infected and who they were in close contact with. Close contacts who may be at an increased risk, are advised to self isolate and monitor for symptoms for 14 days. Notifications are then removed after 14 days when the risk of transmission has passed.
Interior Health works closely with the school and school district throughout the case and contact tracing process while maintaining close communication with the school community.
Information and a list of possible exposures to COVID-19 within schools in the Kamloops-Thompson region is available at: https://news.interiorhealth.ca/news/school-exposures/
