Several students at Bowness High School in northwest Calgary have been ordered to self-isolate for 14 days after a positive case of COVID-19 was confirmed at the school.
A number of parents with students in Grade 10 and 11 at the high school have confirmed to Global News that they received a call from Health Link to notify them of the positive case and to direct the students deemed close contacts to isolate.
The school’s principal, Jana Macdonald, confirmed the case Saturday evening in a letter posted to the school’s website.
“All students directed to quarantine by AHS will be supported in maintaining course work during the designated period. Communication regarding this will be provided directly from the school to impacted students.”
According to Macdonald, all items touched by the individual will be cleaned, and any items that cannot be disinfected will be stored in a sealed container for a minimum of 10 days.
The school said only parents and guardians, as well as any staff, visitors, or volunteers who have been in close contact with the positive case will be contacted by AHS and will be completed before the return to class on September 8.
“If you are not directly contacted by AHS then your child is not a close contact and should not be at increased risk from COVID-19,” the letter said.
Parents and guardians are being reminded to monitor for symptoms.
“My kids were so excited to go back to school and be with their friends and they were doing their part. They were wearing masks and doing what they were supposed to do. To have this so close to the start of the school, it’s really concerning,” said Tara Orgill, whose son attends Bowness High School.
Orgill said she was contacted by AHS and told that her son had been exposed to a student in his class who tested positive. Orgill was told she and her three kids would have to self-isolate until Sept. 21.
Alberta Health confirmed 164 new cases of COVID-19 in the province on Friday, with 638 active cases in the Calgary zone.
An outbreak has not been declared at the school, as outbreaks will only be declared if two or more positive cases are confirmed at a school within 14 days or two or more that are epidemiologically linked.
A school outbreak will be made public and added to the Alberta Health outbreak site once there are five or more confirmed cases.
– With files from Carolyn Kury de Castillo