Toronto Public Health declares outbreak at four schools as Christmas break begins

Toronto Public Health has declared a COVID-19 outbreak at four schools.

The public health unit said Saturday that two or more cases of coronavirus had been confirmed within St. Joachim Catholic School and Sir John A Macdonald Collegiate Institute in Scarborough, Fraser Mustard Early Learning Academy in East York and Blessed Sacrament Catholic School in Toronto.

“We’re carefully investigating & following our process of working w/our school community to notify close contacts & ask them to stay home, monitor for symptoms & get tested,” TPH said in a series of tweets.

As of December 17, there were 170 active cases of COVID-19 in 70 schools in the Toronto Catholic District School Board and 704 active cases in 367 schools in the Toronto District School Board.

Toronto-area schools embarked on their winter break on Friday and students are not scheduled to return to class until January 3.

On Wednesday, the Toronto District School Board informed parents and guardians that a return to remote learning could be a possibility in the new year.

“Out of an abundance of caution and to ensure your family is prepared for any shift to remote learning, be sure your child brings home all of their personal belongings such as shoes or clothing, and any tools or supplies they might need to pivot to remote learning,” the TDSB said, noting that they have received no indication from the Ministry of Education that schools will close at this time.

Toronto Public Health also called on parents and guardians to follow public health measures when it comes to preventing the spread of COVID-19, such as wearing a mask, observing physical distancing rules, and keeping in-person gatherings over the holidays to a minimum.

Students have been sent home with Rapid Antigen Test kits, which they are asked to take every three to four days. Anyone testing positive is asked to self-isolate and get a PCR test to confirm the results.