A Windsor-Essex elementary school is under COVID-19 outbreak protocol.
The Windsor-Essex Catholic District School Board (WECDSB) said three new cases of COVID-19 were confirmed at St. Peter Catholic Elementary School in Tecumseh. The new cases were in a cohort that was dismissed over the weekend, bringing the total number of cases at that school to four.
"The affected cohort and the school community have been informed that a variant of concern has been identified in this cohort," said board spokesman Stephen Fields. "However at this time, the outbreak is limited to the cohort that was dismissed. All other students and staff at St. Peter are deemed low-risk and may continue attending school as usual."
The Windsor-Essex County Health Unit declares an outbreak if there are two or more cases in a school and if there is evidence that at least one case came from the school community. The health unit is contacting students and staff who may have been in close contact.
The board has also sent a voicemail message to parents, saying that unless their child was identified as a close contact, they can attend class on Thursday as scheduled.
The WECDSB also reported a confirmed case of COVID-19 at St. Joseph's Catholic High School in Windsor. Students in that cohort have been told not to report to class Thursday.
As of Wednesday night, the outbreak at St. Peter is the only one involving a Windsor-Essex school.
The Greater Essex County District School Board reported four cases in recent days. There are two at Riverside High School, and one each at Massey Secondary School and Lakeshore Discovery elementary school in Lakeshore.