Coronavirus: Centennial Collegiate students in Saskatoon make temporary move to online learning

Classes at a Saskatoon school are moving temporarily to online.

Centennial Collegiate has had 16 positive cases of COVID-19, which has resulted in the temporary closure of 25 classes as students were directed to self-isolate, according to Saskatoon Public Schools on Monday.

“The numerous disruptions have made it difficult for staff to deliver instruction for all students,” read a statement from the division.

The division said it has collaboratively decided with the Saskatchewan Health Authority to move Centennial Collegiate to Level 4 of the province’s safe schools plan.

Starting on Thursday, Dec. 4, all classes will move to online learning through Dec. 18.

According to the division, classes will run as scheduled on Tuesday and Wednesday to allow teachers to direct students on how the remaining classes will move forward.

The secondary school at 160 Nelson Rd. is expected to return to in-class instruction on Jan. 4, 2021.

The division said it’s had 96 positive cases at 36 locations since the start of the 2020-21 school year.

4:37 Program designed to improve student literacy

Questions about COVID-19? Here are some things you need to know:

Symptoms can include fever, cough and difficulty breathing — very similar to a cold or flu. Some people can develop a more severe illness. People most at risk of this include older adults and people with severe chronic medical conditions like heart, lung or kidney disease. If you develop symptoms, contact public health authorities.

To prevent the virus from spreading, experts recommend frequent handwashing and coughing into your sleeve. They also recommend minimizing contact with others, staying home as much as possible and maintaining a distance of two metres from other people if you go out. In situations where you can’t keep a safe distance from others, public health officials recommend the use of a non-medical face mask or covering to prevent spreading the respiratory droplets that can carry the virus. In some provinces and municipalities across the country, masks or face coverings are now mandatory in indoor public spaces.

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