Ontario releases new school COVID-19 guidelines on self-isolation, outbreaks and cohort dismissals
The Ontario government has released new guidelines confirming different isolation rules for vaccinated students and staff, while also outlining what may happen in the event of a COVID-19 outbreak at a school this fall.
The document, released late Wednesday morning and entitled “COVID-19 Guidance: School Case, Contact and Outbreak Management,” states that individuals who are fully vaccinated and asymptomatic are not required to isolate after a high-risk exposure to the virus.
Therefore, they do not need to be dismissed from school.
In addition, household members who live with a student that has been exposed to the virus do not need to self-isolate if they are fully vaccinated.
Those who are not fully immunized and were exposed to COVID-19 as a high-risk contact must isolate for 10 days. The guidelines indicate testing is recommended on day seven of their isolation period and the isolation should begin on the last day of the known exposure.
If a cohort contains students who are not vaccinated, or the immunization coverage is unknown, individual Public Health Units (PHU) can choose to dismiss the cohort entirely.
The province’s school guidance is in alignment with new public health guidelines, entitled “COVID-19 Fully Immunized and Previously Positive Individuals: Case, Contact and Outbreak Management Interim Guidance,” which CTV News Toronto obtained before the province’s release on Wednesday.
These new guidelines coincide with remarks the Chief Medical Officer Dr. Kieran Moore made in July, outlining that staff and students who are fully vaccinated should anticipate minimal interruptions at school if they are exposed to a high-risk contact.
In contrast, Moore said that unvaccinated individuals would have to isolate for at least 10 days and provide two negative COVID-19 tests, seven days a part, before returning to the classroom.
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THERE IS AN OUTBREAK?
The province defines an outbreak at a school as two or more lab-confirmed COVID-19 cases among students, teachers, staff or visitors where at least one of the cases could have reasonably been acquired at the school. This also includes child-care settings and before and after school programs.
Household members should not be included in the high-risk contacts linked to the outbreak, unless they had direct contact with the outbreak.
An outbreak can range from an entire school dismissal to a single cohort being asked to isolate. The PHU will determine the severity of the outbreak and measures that need to be taken.
Further outbreak measures could include daily screening, restricting visitors at the school, minimizing interaction between cohorts, asking staff not to work at other schools, and asking staff, students and families to avoid close contact with other individuals for non-essential reasons.
After 14 days have passed with no further transmission of the virus and no additional symptomatic cases reported by the school, the outbreak can be declared over.
WHEN WILL A WHOLE SCHOOL BE DISMISSED?
The province is anticipating that the likelihood of an entire school closing because of an outbreak is “exceptionally low in schools with high immunization coverage among students.”
A PHU may decide to dismiss an entire school if there is widespread or rapid spread of the virus at the institution. These circumstances would include if there is an outbreak in more than one cohort and there are additional cases that are reasonably likely to have been acquired at school.
During a school-wide dismissal, staff and students who are not fully protected from the virus or previously tested positive are advised to stay home, except for essential reasons.
Although, the document states that instead of an entire school closing, “dismissal of a smaller number of specific contacts who are not fully immunized or previously positive may be sufficient.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Deaths of 4 people on Sask. farm confirmed as murder-suicide
The deaths of four people on a farm near the Saskatchewan village of Neudorf have been confirmed a murder-suicide.
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
Full parole granted to man convicted in notorious 'McDonald's murders' in Cape Breton
The Parole Board of Canada has granted full parole to one of three men convicted in the brutal murders of three McDonald's restaurant workers in Cape Breton more than 30 years ago.
Incident on Calgary's Reconciliation Bridge comes to safe resolution
Nearly 20 hours after a man climbed and remained perched on top of the Reconciliation Bridge in downtown Calgary, the situation came to a peaceful resolution.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
George Washington family secrets revealed by DNA from unmarked 19th century graves
Genetic analysis has shed light on a long-standing mystery surrounding the fates of U.S. President George Washington's younger brother Samuel and his kin.
'We won't forget': How some Muslims view Poilievre's stance on Israel-Hamas war
A spokesman for a regional Muslim advocacy group says Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's stance on the Israel-Hamas war could complicate his party's relationship with Muslim Canadians.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.