COVID-19 outbreaks declared at Saskatoon's Marion M. Graham, Tommy Douglas

Saskatoon has now recorded three outbreaks of COVID-19 at schools in the city.

Marion M. Graham Collegiate will be placed under outbreak status after the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) confirmed two cases at the Saskatoon high school, the Saskatoon Public School Division reported on Saturday. 

"Communication about the positive cases has been shared with the specific classrooms at the school, as well as the entire school community," said a news release from the division.

The division is also notifying parents at the city's Centennial Collegiate about a single positive case at that high school, noting information has already been sent to affected classrooms and the overall school community. 

The health authority indicates that risk of exposure for anyone who was not in close contact is considered "very low." 

Contact tracing is underway and the division says classes will continue at both schools as scheduled next week.

In the release, the division stressed the importance of proper COVID-19 protocols, saying the safety of students and staff is its first priority.

"The safety protocols our schools have put in place are critical to reducing the risk of transmission," read the division statement.

"Mask requirements, proper hand hygiene, physical distancing when possible and cohorting classes are all measures our schools have implemented to help protect students and staff members. These measures will significantly reduce the spread of the virus." 

An outbreak has also been declared at Saskatoon public's Tommy Douglas Collegiate in Saskatoon, with the Government of Saskatchewan's website indicating it was declared on Oct. 24.

A statement from Saskatoon Public Schools said Tommy Douglas Collegiate would reopen as planned on Tuesday — Monday is a professional development day — and that risk of exposure to others was low. 

"To protect the privacy of individuals, we are not able to share or discuss further details," the statement said. 

"Public health officials will be directly contacting individuals who may have been in close contact with the diagnosed individual. Risk of exposure to anyone who was not in close contact is very low."

Saskatoon's first COVID-19 outbreak at a school was declared at Holy Cross in early October when four unlinked cases were confirmed at the school by the SHA.

Case at St. Joseph Catholic High School

On Sunday, Greater Saskatoon Catholic Schools issued a press release indicating a new case of COVID-19 has also been recorded at St. Joseph Catholic High School.

The release indicated the division is working with Public Health and members of the school community have been informed. 
 
"The SHA is conducting contact tracing," said the news release. "Risk of exposure for anyone not considered a close contact remains low." 
 
In the release, the Catholic division advised members of the public to "remain vigilant" in following public health guidelines in order to keep COVID-19 out of schools, as cases in the province — specifically in Saskatoon — are rising. 

An outbreak is declared at a school when two individuals at the school test positive, but it does not automatically result in a school closure.

Changes to school-wide delivery would only take place if there were two or more positive cases in more than one classroom where there are shared spaces and if public health cannot establish transmission links between those cases through contact tracing. 

As of Sunday morning, there are currently 11 active outbreaks at K-12 schools across the province.