Three Port Coquitlam schools have been flagged for multiple COVID-19 exposures, raising concerns among some parents that more needs to be done to protect staff and students.
Today parents at Hazel Trembath elementary received a letter stating that there had been an exposure at the school on Nov. 3, 4, 5, and 6. This was the second letter received by parents in recent weeks, with an earlier letter sent out Nov. 11 indicating an exposure took place at the school on Oct. 29.
And on the weekend, Glen elementary was flagged for a fourth time for a COVID-19 exposure this time on Nov. 4 and 6. Previous exposures occurred on Oct. 6, 7 and 9, Oct. 15 and Oct. 16.
Other Port Coquitlam schools have been flagged for exposures as well this week. An exposure dated Nov. 4 happened at Terry Fox secondary, and Ecole Mary Hill elementary had an exposure notice for Nov. 3, 4, 5 and 6.
Fox was previously flagged for exposures on Oct. 26, 27, 28, 29.
The 10 day or more lag time between the notice and the exposure and the lack of information has at least one Hazel Trembath parent concerned.
Craig Matwick is calling for more information from Fraser Health to help parents decide whether their school remains safe when exposures are occurring on multiple days.
“Ikea closes for after one staff member get sick. However a school with cohorts that are getting less and less tight stays open after two exposures is wrong,” said Matwick, whose son is in Grade 5 at the school.
“I feel like I’m being kept in the dark,” he added.
But while parents are getting notices with these dates, the PoCo dad said parents should be told more about the exposure, such as where it was, for how long, what the person’s role in the school is, whether a staff member, student — or even a delivery person who was just in for a short time — so parents can make better decisions.
“Is that a child, a staff member or a parent? I need to know so I can make decisions to keep my family safe,” said Matwick, who has reached out to Fraser Health with his concerns and was told he would have been contacted within 48 hours if his child was directly exposed to someone with COVID-19.
Still, Matwick says the lack of information is “scary.”
Matwick understands that individual privacy must be protected and he says the school’s principal has been helpful and supportive but with cases rising, he thinks more needs to be done to protect staff and students.
“Things aren’t getting any better (with COVID-19 cases growing),”said Matwick who is considering removing his son from school until after Christmas although he worries about the social and education consequences of keeping his son home.
He thinks the province should do more to keep children safe. For example, masks should be mandatory for everyone entering the school and a hybrid program with a remote learning option provided.
He joins others who have raised concerns about schools in recent weeks.
The BC Teachers Federation is calling for reduced class sizes to allow for more physical distancing.
“Mr. Premier, for the safety of everyone in our school system, we implore you to order Ministry of Education officials to work with school districts in Fraser Health to reduce class sizes and allow for proper physical distancing,” BCTF president Teri Mooring stated in a letter to premier John Horgan.
Meanwhile, an SFU health scientist is calling for a mandatory mask policy across Metro Vancouver as cases continue to surge across the region.
Scott Lear has started a petition calling for mandatory masks, saying it would result in greater compliance.
Tri-City News has reached out to Fraser Health for comment on the exposure notices.
However, according to Fraser Health, a school “exposure” indicates a single person with a lab-confirmed COVID-19 infection attended school during their infectious period.
A school “cluster,” on the other hand, indicates possible school-based transmission with two or more lab-confirmed cases of COVID-19 attending school while infectious.
Finally, an “outbreak” at a school means “multiple individuals with lab-confirmed COVID-19 infection” and that “transmission is likely widespread.”
Fraser Health school exposures:
Map by Gary McKenna/Tri-City News
