More COVID-19 exposures have been revealed at Burnaby public schools, including one school seeing a whopping nine “exposure event” dates listed since the school year resumed in January.
Chaffey-Burke Elementary has had exposures on Jan. 12, 13, 14, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22 and 25.
The latest list includes multiple Burnaby high schools and elementary schools, according to those posted on the Fraser Health coronavirus tracker site. (Other cases may have been identified at Burnaby schools with parents notified, but there is sometimes a lag before they reach the Fraser Health site.)
- Cariboo Hill Secondary has had five exposure dates listed on the Fraser Health site: Jan. 11, 12, 13, 14 and 15.
- Cameron Elementary: Jan. 19.
- Byrne Creek secondary has had multiple exposure dates, including Jan. 11, 12, 13 and 14.
- Moscrop Secondary has had an exposure on Jan. 11.
- Brantford Elementary had an exposure on Jan. 15.
- Armstrong Elementary had exposures on Jan. 11, 12 and 13.
- Burnaby South Secondary: Jan. 21 and 22.
The latest school cases come as frustration with the province’s refusal to make masks mandatory at schools during the COVID-19 pandemic has inspired the Burnaby Teachers’ Association to take matters into its own hands – with a poster contest.
The local teachers union launched the contest in November and announced the winners last month.
“We’re hearing frustration from a number of teachers that there isn’t stronger provincial mask-wearing language. So, being that we can’t enforce that, this is just another way that we can encourage a culture of mask wearing,” BTA president Daniel Tetrault told the NOW.
The local teachers union took out an ad in the local newspaper last month for the same reason, but Tetrault said that had been part of a provincial initiative by the BC Teachers’ Federation while the poster contest was a homegrown idea.
“Students might not relate as much to some of our BCTF ads or government ads, but they might relate more to their friends’ ads or their own ads. That might be more relatable to them and eye-catching,” Tetrault said.
The local union president said teachers’ frustration around the lack of a mask mandate is centred around the provincial health office, not the Burnaby school district.
- With files from Cornelia Naylor
