Whitehorse secondary school prom cancelled after student tests positive for COVID-19

Prom at Whitehorse's Porter Creek Secondary School has been cancelled after a student tested positive for COVID-19.

The student is one of two new Whitehorse-based cases being reported in the territory, Yukon health officials said in a press release early Friday evening.

The prom ceremony had been scheduled to take place Saturday.

All graduating Porter Creek students are being advised to self-isolate and self-monitor for COVID-19 symptoms, and to seek testing should any appear. Students involved in any graduation events for all three of Whitehorse's high schools are also being encouraged to self-monitor for symptoms.

Any further directions or recommendations will be given to the school and parents by June 16 at the latest, according to the press release, and the Department of Education will work with the graduation committee to reschedule Porter Creek's prom when it's safe to do so.

The two new cases bring Yukon's active COVID-19 case count to 15. Eleven of those are based in Whitehorse. Another case is based in Dawson City, while the three remaining cases originated at the Victoria Gold mine near Mayo.

Eight of the 15 cases have also been confirmed to be the P.1 or Gamma variant of concern, which is more easily transmissible than earlier strains of COVID-19 and may cause more severe illness in younger people.

Chief Medical Officer of health Dr. Brendan Hanley described the cases in Whitehorse earlier on Friday as an outbreak.

The latest cases are related to previous Whitehorse cases, according to the Friday evening press release, and both people are isolating and recovering at home.

Yukon has now had a total of 98 COVID-19 cases since the pandemic began.