As coronavirus creeps into at least 5 N.L. schools, education officials defend delivery of information

At least five schools in Newfoundland and Labrador have beenaffected by COVID-19 cases so far this school year, as an outbreak in central Newfoundland continues to grow.

Lakewood Academy in Glenwood,Macdonald Drive Elementary in St. John's,andMSB Regional Academy in Middle Arm were all notified by the Health Department this week of cases, both confirmed and presumptive, within theircommunities.

Laval High School in Placentiahas also had a case, according to aNewfoundland and Labrador English School District spokesperson.

Meanwhile, there are now 10 cases at New World Island Academy in Summerford, where classes have been suspended as a result of the outbreak, according to Dr. Rosann Seviour, acting chief medical officer of health. The school will transition to online learning next week.

At a media briefing Friday, Seviour said a case has been identified at a school in Baie Verte.

"There'sone school there that has one case that is now under investigation," she said. "There's no signs at this point that there's any transmission within the school."

That school was not mentioned in an email Friday afternoon from an district spokesperson.

Education Minister Tom Osborne and district CEO Tony Stack spoke to reportersFridayto address the uptick in coronavirusin schools this week.

As soon as public health officials identifya case of COVID-19 in a school, Stack said, the Department of Health contacts the district. The district's regional assistant director thencontacts the schooland relays the necessary information.

"When public health gives us a contact, we look after things right away, instantly, and school communities are given a generic letter," he said.

He said the Health Departmentand the district work together to notify potential contacts, and the district communicates withpotential contacts directly.

Education minister defends transparency of department

Osborne responded to callsby parents and by Opposition education critic Barry Pettento be more transparent about COVID-19 in the province's schools.

"The school district needs to be front-and-centre on these issues, keeping parents up to date on the latest developments," said Petten in a mediarelease Friday.

Osborne said Petten's release created "unnecessary additional fear and anxiety" for school communities, arguing the public health division and the school board provide the necessary information as soon as possible.

"As soon as the English school district has information from public health, that information is then forwarded to the school community," he said.

Osborne said the Health and Education departments must strike a balancing act when releasing information so families can stay informed whilemaintaining privacyof individuals with COVID-19.

"What we can't do is provide specific enough information that you can identify the individual or individuals who've been impacted," he said.

In an interview following the briefing, Jim Dinn, NDP MHA and the party's education critic,slammed the department's communication strategy.He said the department needs to provide more detailed information about COVID-19 in schools so families can determine their risk.

"Is it students? Is it teachers? Should we be worried about it?"

He noted the department does not generally provide location-based alerts forCOVID-19 exposure in schools like the ones Public Health gives for other public places,leaving families to wonder who has been exposed.

"That is the uncertainty that is unacceptable."

The Health Department announced 45 new confirmed and 18 new presumptive cases of COVID-19 on Friday, mostly in the Central Health region. There are 109 active cases of COVID-19 in Newfoundland and Labrador.

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