The BC Centre for Disease Control will now notify the public about every case of COVID-19 detected in the school system, with details, following public outcry and comparisons to policies in other provinces.
Previously, school districts in B.C. notified staff and students that someone in their individual school community had tested positive for the disease caused by the coronavirus.
But parents and other members of the public clamoured for more specifics, such as the date and type of exposure, similar to what happens in other jurisdictions like Ontario.
As of Wednesday, the centre will include links to regional health authorities’ school notification pages, including additional details such as date and type of exposure, on its overall list of exposures.
The Fraser Health notification page was already immediately available following the announcement.
Officials have yet to identify any outbreaks in schools, but there are single confirmed cases at five schools in Surrey and one in Delta.
Surrey School District superintendent Jordan Tinney said he supports the further notification.
“I think transparency is really important … to build trust. But not to the point where it infringes on privacy,” Tinney said.
“We need to protect privacy yet at the same time have the right amount of alert to the public.”
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