4 more Guelph schools close due to COVID-19 Omicron variant

The Wellington Catholic District School Board says four schools in Guelph will close on Wednesday for the rest of the week due to the Omicron COVID-19 variant.

The schools switching to remote learning are Bishop Macdonell Catholic High School, St. James Catholic High School, St. Joseph Catholic School and St. Michael Catholic School.

Students will learn remotely until Friday before heading into the winter break until Jan. 2.

According to the school board, as of Tuesday, St. Joseph had 11 confirmed cases, St. Michael had six confirmed cases, Bishop Macdonell had two and St. James had three.

It’s unclear how many confirmed cases are the Omicron variant.

“Over the past several days, the Bishop Macdonell CHS, St. James CHS, St. Michael, and St. Joseph school communities have experienced increases in COVID-19 cases along with a growing number of students and staff identified as high-risk case contacts requiring self-isolate due to potential exposure to the Omicron COVID-19 variant,” the board said in a statement on its website.

“This has created significant operational challenges with respect to staff availability as well as the continuity of learning within these schools.”

The board added that families will be receiving information from their schools with instructions on accessing learning tasks for the remainder of the week.

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There are now five schools closed in Guelph after the Upper Grand District School Board announced on Monday that John F. Ross CVI was closing due to a COVID-19 outbreak.

The latest data provided shows there are 47 confirmed cases among 17 public and Catholic schools in Guelph and Wellington County.

There are also eight active COVID-19 outbreaks among publicly and privately funded schools in Guelph.