February 22, 2021
Feb. 22 – Parent Letter Additional COVID-19 Safety Measures in Schools and Child Care Centres
Dear Parents and Guardians,
I want to inform you of recently added COVID-19 safety measures in schools and child cares that are now in effect across Ontario. The new measures build on the existing ones that have been in place since September, and have been added due to the risk of COVID-19 variants.
Parents and guardians have an important role to play in making sure the new measures are followed, and will require us all to be even more diligent. The most significant changes are:
Students and staff with any new or worsening symptom of COVID-19, even those with only one symptom, must stay home, without exemption, until:
- The symptomatic individual receives a negative COVID-19 test result, or
- The symptomatic individual receives an alternate diagnosis by a health care professional
- If there is no test or alternate diagnosis, the symptomatic individual must isolate for 10 days from symptom onset, and all other household members must isolate for 14 days from their last contact with the symptomatic individual.
Asymptomatic household contacts of symptomatic individuals: Quarantine, do not leave home.
- All asymptomatic household contacts of symptomatic individuals are required to quarantine, until the symptomatic individual receives a negative COVID-19 test result, or an alternative diagnosis by a health care professional.
- If the symptomatic individual does not seek COVID-19 testing they should be treated as if they have COVID-19 and all household contacts must quarantine for 14 days from their last contact with that symptomatic individual.
We ask that you continue to self-monitor your child(ren) for signs and symptoms of COVID-19. This includes completing the daily self-assessment for symptoms before attending school: https://covid-19.ontario.ca/
We remain vigilant to protecting the health and safety of our students and staff and continue to work with the Durham Region Health Department to follow the new safety measurements.
Yours in Faith,
Tracy Barill