COVID - 19 Not Being Transmitted Within Schools Director Says
By Robert Thomas
The rising number of cases of people testing positive for COVID - 19 at Prairie South School Division (PSSD) schools in Moose Jaw might be cause for alarm but what has been proven so far is the cleaning process and protocols are working. That is the word from Tony Baldwin superintendent of schools at PSSD.
Expressing concern that student/staff/volunteers have tested positive for COVID - 19 Baldwin said none of the cases originated from transmission within the school. system.
“There has been no transmission at all of our schools,” he said, adding so far the enhanced cleaning protocols have been effective.
“By the time we have a positive case it is ten days ago…it shows our cleaning protocols are 100 percent effective.”
So far every case has been transmitted elsewhere in the community and not in the school system is backed up by Public Health. Even if a school has multiple cases there was no transmission within the school and the person caught COVID - 19 elsewhere, he said.
For those who are in close proximity to a person who tests positive for COVID - 19 there are precautionary protocols where the person cannot attend school for 14 days (the incubation period for COVID - 19) to ensure they so not have the illness.
“With almost all of the cases there has been some close contact…for two weeks from the day (it is determined you are in close contact) you are away from school or if a staff member off work in the school,” he said.
When off work or school, staff and students are expected to continue instruction or learning as long as they are well enough to do so.
“We have the technology they are able to teach from home or school.”
When it comes to high school there have been changes within PSSD designed to lessen the contact between students and staff.
Instead of the usual five classes each of the two semesters the school year has been divided into five semesters with students only taking two classes per semester. Students still take ten classes per year but the restructuring means that each student is exposed to fewer people while at school.
Additionally all classes have a seating plan to allow Public Health to determine who was in close proximity to someone if they contract COVID - 19. This helps Public Health who do the contact tracing. It allows them to know who was in the classroom.
Mask wearing continues for all students in grade four and up in the classroom and on the buses. Students do not have to wear a mask if there are less than 15 people in a classroom.
Baldwin said that students have been highly receptive to wearing masks with student becoming accustomed to them “within an hour and a half”.
Asked if it was true that some of the multiple cases such at Westmount School and Prince Arthur School had been caused by transmission within the schools Baldwin replied “that is categorically 100 percent false” going on to defend the fact that the enhanced cleaning procedures and other processes in the schools have so far prevented any transmission within the school system.
“No cases have been transmitted at school and so we will continue cleaning as we have in the past.”
Baldwin never ruled out the chance there might some day be a case transmitted at school but the policies and enhanced cleaning procedures have so far proven to be successful.
Asked about a total shutdown of the school system due to the rising number of cases province-wide he said such a decision was something that would have to be left to the medical people with the Province.
The PSSD does have the ability to close a school if there are problems within the school to do such things as an intensive cleaning but he said at the present time such an aggressive policy is not necessary.
PSSD will continue with its policy of masks, hand washing, keeping students in a single group, enhanced record keeping and enhanced cleaning to prevent any potential spread.