Boissevain School hit by COVID-19 outbreak

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This article was published 09/04/2021 (1926 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The province has declared a COVID-19 outbreak at Boissevain School, a K-12 school about 75 kilometres south of Brandon.

At least 10 cases have been reported at the school, which has pivoted to remote learning until April 23.

“An outbreak was declared due to transmission in Grade 10 and Grade 12 cohorts, as well as ongoing outbreak activity in the community, and an abundance of caution,” principal Stephanie Emberly wrote in an email to families this week.

Emberly told families public health officials have asked the school accommodate children of critical service workers with in-person instruction while all other learners study at home.

The school shifted to remote learning, prompted by concerns of cases in the community, on April 5.

“Declaring an outbreak is a way public health can formally support Boissevain School’s efforts,” Emberly told parents in her email.

Outbreaks are requested on a case-by-case basis by medical officers of health.

While a cluster is defined as multiple confirmed cases clustered in time or geographic location without an epidemiological link, such as a common exposure or a transmission event, an outbreak refers to two or more cases linked to a specific setting or location.

Since the start of the school year, 2,479 COVID-19 cases — 77 per cent of which involve students — have been connected to schools in Manitoba. Twenty-seven of those cases involve variants of concern.