Coronavirus: Interior Health announces COVID-19 exposure at French-language school in Okanagan

Two new coronavirus exposure events have been announced in the Okanagan.

Interior Health is reporting that an Okanagan school, l’Anse-au-Sable in Kelowna, was the site of a three-day exposure, Oct. 13-15.

The second exposure event was a WestJet flight, from Kelowna to Calgary on Oct. 10. The BC Centre for Disease Control said the affected rows aboard Flight 182 were 1-4.

Regarding the school exposure, Interior Health said a member of l’Anse-au-Sable has tested positive for COVID-19.

Located on Lequime Road, the French-language school isn’t part of Central Okanagan Public Schools, but is part of the province-wide Conseil Scolaire Francophone, which is also known as School District 93.

Contacted by Global News, the school principal declined to comment and referred inquiries to SD 93.

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In an email to Global News, Interior Health said “the important aspect to note is that public health will directly contact anyone who may have been exposed. If you have not heard from IH, carry on with your activities and continue to follow the safety measures outlines below.”

The health agency said if you have symptoms, please get tested, but noted you don’t need to test if you have no symptoms.

The symptoms of COVID-19 include the following:

• Fever
• Cough
• Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing

Other symptoms may include runny nose, fatigue, body aches (muscles and joints aching), diarrhea, headache, sore throat, vomiting and red eyes.

Interior Health says on its website that if a student or teacher receives a confirmed positive COVID-19 test result, it does the following:

• Starts the process of contact tracing.
• Identify and notify close contacts who may be at an increased risk
• Advise them to self-isolate and monitor for symptoms for 14 days.

“We work closely with the school and school district throughout the case and contact tracing process to maintain close communication with the school community,” said IH.

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The school becomes the fifth in the Interior Health region to have an exposure. The others were:

• Stanley Humphries Secondary in Castlegar (Sept. 11)
• JA Laird Elementary in Invermere (Sept. 14-15)
• Rossland Summit School (Sept. 16)
• Clarence Fulton Secondary in Vernon (Oct. 5-8)

For more about public exposure lists, click here for Interior Health and here for the B.C. Centre of Disease Control.

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