More people isolating after coronavirus outbreak declared at Kelowna school

Interior Health Authority (IHA) confirmed late Monday afternoon that the number of people isolating due to a COVID-19 outbreak at a Kelowna school has risen.

Last week, IHA announced that about 160 people, both staff and students, at the École de l’Anse-au-sable were ordered to self-isolate but that number is now 175.

There have been 11 positive cases linked to the first outbreak declared at a school in B.C.

On Sunday, school administration made a decision to temporarily close the school.

“Tthere are a lot of people that have to sit home so we can’t run the school,” said Michel St-Amant, superintendent for distruct 93, which covers Francophone schools in B.C.

“There are people infected, there are people that are close to people infected, there are people that are waiting for a test, there’s people in isolation.”

Low staffing levels made it challenging to continue running the school.

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St-Amanat said that in addition to all the people isolating, many students, who weren’t ordered to do so, were choosing not to come to school to play it safe resulting in far fewer students in classes.

And securing bus transportation under the current circumstances also proved challenging.

“I have some drivers who are quite concerned about their health,” St-Amanat said.

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Dr. Bonnie Henry, provincial health officer addressed the school closure at her Monday afternoon briefing.

“We knew of course this would be a possibility, especially in some of the smaller schools where the potential exposure impacts a larger proportion of the school population,” Henry said.

“And while the numbers of people with COVID is small, the requirement for those in contact to be in self isolation has meant that school can no longer safely operate.”

The plan is for the school to re-open on Nov. 5 but that will be assessed closer to that day.

IHA also announced on Sunday one positive case of COVID-19 at Kelowna Secondary School (KSS).

As a result, 11 people are isolating.

Exposure dates according to IHA are oct. 19, 20 and 21.