A total of five classes and two bus cohorts have been dismissed after positive COVID-19 cases were confirmed at three local English Catholic schools.
The Windsor-Essex Catholic District School Board reported Thursday evening that one case was discovered at St. Joseph's Catholic High School in Windsor. One more was found at St. Thomas of Villanova High School in LaSalle. A third case was reported at St. Joseph's Catholic French Immersion in River Canard.
Two classes were dismissed from each of the two high schools, and one from the elementary school. Also, a bus cohort from Villanova and one from St. Joseph's Elementary were sent home.
"We have notified the affected students that they are not to attend school on Friday. The health unit will notify those students when they are able to return to school," said board spokesman Stephen Fields.
The parents of the affected students have already been notified and directed to monitor their children for COVID-19 symptoms.
The board had six confirmed COVID-19 cases as of Thursday night, all involving students. Only one of the five affected schools, St. Louis Catholic Elementary in Leamington, is under an outbreak, as declared by the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit.
Meanwhile, at the Greater Essex County District School Board, a total of four new cases were confirmed Thursday. Two are at Giles Campus French Immersion in Windsor, which is already under outbreak protocol, with one each at Margaret D. Bennie Public School in Leamington, and Vincent Massey Secondary School in Windsor.
There are currently 22 active student patients with the English public board and one staff member. The GECDSB does not report on dismissed cohorts.