Image Credit: ADOBE STOCK
February 14, 2020 - 4:10 PM
While there are no reported cases of coronavirus among staff and students in Central Okanagan public schools, the district wants to alleviate some concerns around the virus.
The Central Okanagan school district sent out a letter this week to parents, outlining recommendations for extra precautions for students and staff who have travelled to China in the last few months.
“We were asked to send that out by the Ministry of Education, just so everyone had it… We certainly are not concerned at the moment,” superintendent Kevin Kaardal said.
He said he is not aware of staff or students who have made any trips to China in the last few months.
Some parents in the community have had concerns around their children, so this is just a way to address those concerns, he said.
In the letter, Interior Health medical health officer Silvina Mema asked staff and students returning from China, or who have been in close contact with someone with the new coronavirus, to consider staying home for 14 days.
Students and staff should monitor themselves daily for symptoms like fever or cough and parents should assist children as needed, the letter stated, and those who develop symptoms should stay home and call their healthcare provider or 8-1-1 to discuss any need for testing and follow-up.
For B.C., the latest official updates are located on the BC Centre for Disease Control website here. A toll-free number (1-833-784-4397) has been established to answer questions from Canadians about the novel coronavirus. This service is available from 4 a.m. to 9 p.m.
A fifth case of the novel coronavirus has been presumptively confirmed in British Columbia today, Feb. 14, bringing the total number of cases in Canada to eight. Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said a woman in her 30s returned from Shanghai, China, in the past week through Vancouver's airport before travelling by car to her home in the Interior health region. Henry did not say where in the Interior health region the woman lives.
— With files from The Canadian Press
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