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3 Metro Vancouver schools close amid coronavirus concerns

Notre Dame Secondary says it's closing out of an abundance of caution. Global News

Two Catholic schools in East Vancouver and a Surrey elementary school have closed three days before Spring Break because of the new coronavirus outbreak.

In a message sent to parents of St. Francis of Assisi School, officials say the school will be closed this week after a parent tested positive for COVID-19.

Click to play video: 'Coronavirus: B.C. confirms 7 new cases of COVID-19, including 2 health care workers'
Coronavirus: B.C. confirms 7 new cases of COVID-19, including 2 health care workers

St. Francis officials closed the school out of an abundance of caution, saying Vancouver Coastal Health told them the “school community was at low risk.”

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St. Francis is a feeder school to Notre Dame Regional Secondary School, which announced it was closed Wednesday for “precautionary health reasons,” according to a message on the school’s Facebook page.

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Both schools expect to re-open when Spring Break ends March 30.

Surrey’s Coast Meridian Elementary says it is closed Wednesday after learning a member of the school community has tested positive for COVID-19. The school says it has not been able to confirm the case with health authorities. Surrey School District Superintendent Jordan Tinney said the school will undergo a deep cleaning.

The closures come a day after Glenylyon Norfolk School on Vancouver Island closed both of its campuses on Tuesday.

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B.C. officials announced seven new cases of the novel coronavirus Tuesday, bringing the provincial total to 39. Two of the new cases are believed to be incidents of community transmission.

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–With files from Simon Little and Richard Zussman

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