Surrey school ordered to close due to COVID-19 outbreak
Posted November 14, 2020 7:17 pm.
Last Updated November 15, 2020 11:21 pm.
SURREY (NEWS 1130) — Cambridge Elementary School in Surrey will close for two weeks after Fraser Health declared an outbreak of COVID-19.
This is the first school closure ordered by a health authority in the province.
A letter from superintendent Jordan Tinney Saturday confirms the closure — effective immediately and in effect until Nov. 30.
“Fraser Health has taken the exceptional step of declaring an outbreak,” the letter reads.
“A school outbreak is defined as a significant number of cases likely to have occurred on-site, that extend beyond a classroom or administrative area such as a cohort, and exceptional measures are needed to control transmission.”
Tonight @FraserHealth declares an outbreak at Cambridge Elementary and closes the school for 2 weeks. An important message below for Cambridge community. Letters have gone to all staff/community. More information for all tomorrow. #sd36learn #surreybc @CityofSurrey pic.twitter.com/fRlO65UIpJ
— Jordan Tinney (@jordantinney) November 15, 2020
Seven people at the school have tested positive for the novel coronavirus, according to a release from Fraser Health.
“As a precautionary measure to respond to this outbreak, Fraser Health has advised the Surrey School District to close Cambridge Elementary School for a two-week period to break any chains of COVID-19 transmission that may be present at the school,” it reads.
This is the second school in the province to have an outbreak declared. The first was at Kelowna’s École de l’Anse-au-sable. That school closed for two weeks after administrators determined that, due to the number of people required to self-isolate, there were not enough “available human resources” to stay open.
