Another school in the Fraser Health region closes due to COVID-19

A middle school in Abbotsford, B.C., is the latest to close because of increasing transmission of COVID-19 in the Fraser Health region.

On Monday, the operators of Abbotsford Christian School informed health officials that they will functionally shut down their middle school for two weeks because of "staffing challenges" after six COVID-19 cases were identified, according to a press release from Fraser Health.

The news follows word on Saturday that another three schools in the region have temporarily closed in connection to outbreaks or exposure to the novel coronavirus.

That includes Cambridge Elementary School in Surrey, where an outbreak has been declared, as well as Jarvis Elementary School in Delta and Al-Hidayah School in New Westminster, which both closed voluntarily after several cases of COVID-19 were confirmed.

Fraser Health continues to be the epicentre of the second wave of B.C.'s pandemic.

Of the 1,959 new cases confirmed across B.C. over the weekend, 69 per cent were in the area covered by the health authority.