It’s Spring Break and parents and students have been urged by the Burnaby School District to follow COVID-19 protocols while enjoying some leisure time.
And for good reason. There are a whopping 16 public schools on the COVID-19 exposures list compiled by Fraser Health and three independent schools.
For high schools, the list includes Burnaby Central, Mountain, North, South, Cariboo Hill and Moscrop – that’s every high school except Byrne Creek and Alpha, although both of those have also had recent exposures.
For elementary schools, the list includes Brantford, Inman, Lochdale, Montecito, Morley, Second Street, Sperling, Cascade Heights, Confederation Park and Suncrest.
For independent schools, the list has Deer Lake, Holy Cross and St. Thomas More.
Burnaby school leaders are now urging everyone connected to local schools to “remain vigilant” and contain the spread of COVID-19 during spring break.
In a show of solidarity, a joint letter signed by the Burnaby Teachers’ Association, CUPE local 379, the Burnaby principals’ and vice-principals’ association, the district parent advisory council and the Burnaby school district was sent out to all parents and staff.
“There is no doubt that the decisions we make during Spring Break will impact our schools and wider community,” states the letter. “Since the beginning of the pandemic, health officials have emphasized that our personal choices affect not just our own health, but that of others in the community. We sincerely appreciate anything you can continue to do to support the public health orders.”
The letters thanks everyone involved in the school system for working together to battle the pandemic.
“Safety protocols work not just because of how they are implemented, but because of the people who follow them,” states the letter. “We’re grateful to everyone in our school communities – whether in-person or online –for working together to support our collective safety and well-being.”
The letter urged everyone to adhere to public health orders still in place to restrict indoor gatherings even as some restrictions on outdoor gatherings have been lifted.
- With additional reporting by Cornelia Naylor
