COVID-19: Toronto Public Health recommends temporary closure of 22 schools

Toronto Public Health (TPH) recommended the temporary closure of 22 schools in the city Monday due to COVID-19 investigations.

Eleven of the schools are part of the Toronto District School Board (TDSB), nine are a part of the Toronto Catholic District School Board (TCDSB), one is a French school and another is listed as being independent.

The TDSB schools are:

• Charles E Webster Public School
• D A Morrison Middle School
• Danforth Tech Collegiate Institute
• Donwood Park Public School
• East York Collegiate Institute
• Ellesmere-Statton Public School
• Etienne Brule Junior School
• Grenoble Public School
• Lillian Public School
• Riverdale Collegiate Institute
• Valley Park Middle School

The TDSB said all students at those locations will move to remote learning as COVID-19 cases are investigated.

2:56 COVID-19: Schools in Peel Region shut down for 2 weeks

Meanwhile, the affected TCDSB schools are:

• St. Gregory Catholic School
• James Culnan Catholic School
• Blessed Trinity Catholic School
• St. Brigid Catholic School
• St. Patrick Catholic School
• Neil McNeil High School
• All Saints Catholic School
• Stella Maris Catholic School
• St. Anthony Catholic School

The school board said the facilities will move to online learning as well.

The TCDSB also noted that St. Charles Garnier and St. Roch Catholic schools, which had previously been closed due to COVID-19 investigations, will reopen for in-person learning Tuesday.

In total, between both boards, there are 31 schools closed in Toronto which also includes schools that were already closed before Monday due to COVID-19 — 17 from TDSB and 14 from TCDSB.

TPH said it also recommended the closure of George Etienne Cartier school and Abu Bakr.

“We will keep the school communities informed as soon as the reopening dates are confirmed,” TPH said.

2:45 Ontario education minister’s office reiterates ‘schools remain safe’

The announcement of the closures Monday came just hours after Peel Region’s medical officer of health Dr. Lawrence Loh ordered schools in that municipality be closed for two weeks due to a jump in COVID-19 cases in the community.

“This closure will allow students and staff at least two weeks out of schools to break any chains of transmission and protect them from exposure,” a statement from the Region of Peel read in part.

As of Monday afternoon, Toronto medical officer of health Dr. Eileen de Villa opted against issuing a similar order.

— With files from Nick Westoll