Health officials declare COVID-19 outbreaks at three Toronto schools

TORONTO -

Toronto Public Health (TPH) has declared outbreaks of COVID-19 at three schools in the city after multiple cases of the virus were found to be linked within the individual facilities.

In a series of tweets published Monday evening, TPH said the affected schools include Westway Junior Public School, Immaculate Conception Catholic School, and St. Elizabeth Catholic School in Toronto’s west end.

“We're carefully investigating and following our process of working with our school community to notify close contacts and ask them to stay home, monitor for symptoms and get tested,” TPH said.

Officials said that the outbreaks are not “unexpected” amid Ontario’s fourth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic driven by the highly-transmissible Delta variant.

Across Ontario, 816 schools have at least one case of the virus and five schools have been ordered to close as a result.

The news comes hours after CTV News Toronto learned that Ontario’s top doctor will make an announcement Tuesday morning regarding rapid testing in schools in areas where there are high incidence rates of COVID-19.

Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Kieran Moore is scheduled to make the announcement from the Queen’s Park media studio at 8:45 a.m.