Saskatoon school temporarily moves to online learning after coronavirus case

The Greater Saskatoon Catholic Schools has made the decision to close an elementary school and move to online learning temporarily following a positive novel coronavirus case.

Officials from the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) informed the school division on Monday of a COVID-19-positive individual at Father Vachon School, which is located on 3722 Centennial Dr.

According to a press release, the investigation is at this early stage of contact tracing and SHA said the individual was in multiple locations of the school as well as had multiple touch points with equipment and supplies.

Out of an abundance of caution and SHA’s recommendation, Greater Saskatoon Catholic Schools said students from Father Vachon School will move to online learning starting Tuesday and through Oct. 21.

It added it’s also assessing student access to and need for technology at home to facilitate online learning.

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Greater Saskatoon Catholic Schools said caretaking staff will do a deep clean of the building in the Pacific Heights neighbourhood.

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Symptoms can include fever, cough and difficulty breathing — very similar to a cold or flu. Some people can develop a more severe illness. People most at risk of this include older adults and people with severe chronic medical conditions like heart, lung or kidney disease. If you develop symptoms, contact public health authorities.

To prevent the virus from spreading, experts recommend frequent handwashing and coughing into your sleeve. They also recommend minimizing contact with others, staying home as much as possible and maintaining a distance of two metres from other people if you go out. In situations where you can’t keep a safe distance from others, public health officials recommend the use of a non-medical face mask or covering to prevent spreading the respiratory droplets that can carry the virus. In some provinces and municipalities across the country, masks or face coverings are now mandatory in indoor public spaces.

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