**Update – Both cases have been resolved.**
**Update – There is a second confirmed case at Chippewa Secondary School. At this time, the Health Unit is not declaring an outbreak as the cases appear unrelated. For an active list of cases in NNDSB schools, please visit the resources page.**
Dear Parents and Guardians,
Near North District School Board has been informed that a member of the school community at Chippewa Secondary School has tested positive for COVID-19.
The North Bay Parry Sound District Health Unit is currently conducting an investigation. NNDSB is working closely with the Health Unit to provide information about staff and students for contact tracing (e.g. attendance records, class lists, contact information for parents, etc…). Please note that the School Board and the Health Unit are prohibited from sharing any details with the public that may identify individuals in accordance with the Personal Health Information Protection Act.
The health unit is currently in the process of contacting close contacts of the case to provide further direction on isolation and testing requirements. A close contact is anyone who was in the cases cohort, attending extracurricular activities, childcare, or rode on the bus with the case. Close contacts will be required to self-isolate for a period of 14-days from the last exposure to the positive case.
All students and staff who are not directly contacted by the health unit have been determined to have had a low-risk exposure to the case of COVID-19. A low-risk exposure includes transient interactions such as walking by a person with COVID-19, or briefly being in the same room with a person who has COVID-19. In these situations, the likelihood of transmission of COVID-19 is very low; however self-monitoring for symptoms is recommended. Self-isolation and testing is not recommended for low-risk exposures. In consultation with the health unit the decision has been made to keep the school open, as the risk of transmission of COVID-19 to staff and students is very low at this time. Custodial staff will be conducting enhanced cleaning of the school and ensure that all staff and student areas have been thoroughly disinfected
It is important that you monitor for symptoms of COVID-19. The main symptoms of COVID-19 include: fever, cough, loss of taste and smell, or shortness of breath; however, COVID-19 can present with other symptoms such as those similar to a common cold or common stomach illness. A full list of symptoms is available on the covid-19.ontario.ca website, and the self-assessment tool can be used to help determine if symptoms are consistent with COVID-19.
If symptoms of COVID-19 are present, it is important to immediately self-isolate and seek out a COVID-19 assessment and testing centre. When calling for an appointment at your local COVID-19 assessment centre, please inform the staff that there has been an exposure to a confirmed COVID-19 case and COVID-19 symptoms are present. If severe symptoms are present, such as difficulty breathing, please call 911 or attend the emergency department for immediate attention.
If you have any questions or concerns please contact the North Bay Parry Sound District Health Unit at 1-800-563-2808.
Thank you,
Near North District School Board
