Etobicoke elementary school latest to close due to COVID outbreak

Another public elementary school is temporarily closing all in-person learning as a result of a COVID-19 outbreak.

Toronto Public Health (TPH) says École élémentaire Micheline-Saint-Cyr in Etobicoke is pausing all extra-curricular activities effective Wednesday.

The public health agency says it has notified all close contacts — and has advised them to stay at home and self-monitor.

“We are recommending a whole school dismissal as a precautionary measure to protect staff, students and the community from further #COVID19 transmission within the school,” TPH wrote in a Twitter thread.

They also say the recommendation to shutter in-person activities is out of an abundance of caution — adding that it’s working with the school board to determine when it is safe to return to normal operations.

The public health unit says it’s identified two or more COVID-19 cases linked within Associated Hebrew Schools – Danilack Middle School (North York) and Military Trail Public School in Scarborough which qualifies as an outbreak. Those schools will remain open.

TPH announced yesterday that Grenoble Public School — located in the Flemingdon Park neighbourhood — would be closed to all in-person learning and extra-curricular activities as a direct result of an outbreak.

Ontario reported a sharp increase in school-related COVID-19 infections with 227 confirmed on Tuesday. Of these new cases, 247 involved students. There are 647 schools with at least one reported case of the virus and 10 active school closures.