Maple Ridge school COVID-19 case had ‘close contact’ with case of virus variant
Posted January 31, 2021 9:11 pm.
Last Updated February 1, 2021 6:31 am.
MAPLE RIDGE (NEWS 1130) — Someone at a Maple Ridge high school who tested positive for COVID-19 is a close contact of a person infected with a variant of the virus, prompting Fraser Health to intervene and organize testing.
Fraser Health said Sunday the person who tested positive for one of the variant strains of the coronavirus does not attend Garibaldi Secondary School.
A notice posted for the school lists Jan. 18, 19, 20, 21 and 22 as possible exposure dates. A letter was sent to students and families Sunday evening.
.@Fraserhealth notifying Maple Ridge school community — someone with covid who was at the school mid-month (Jan 18-19) is a close contact of someone found to have a variant form of the virus.#bcpoli #covid19 @NEWS1130 https://t.co/omfgkB42lF
— LizaYuzda (@LizaYuzda) February 1, 2021
Anyone who has come into contact with the “school case” connected to the variant case is being tested Monday, according to the health authority.
“The Maple Ridge COVID-19 test collection centre will be closed tomorrow to support this testing,” reads a statement from Fraser Health, which is directing anyone in the community who needs a test during the closure to visit nearby cities.
“As this is a variant that is new to our communities and highly transmissible, Fraser Health is working to identify any further connected variant cases to ensure immediate isolation and case management to prevent further transmission. ”
Garibaldi Secondary School will remain open.
“Only those staff and students who have been identified as close contacts need to be tested and have been contacted. If you have not been contacted, there is no risk of exposure identified,” the statement concludes.
