The first case of COVID-19 in School District 69 (Qualicum) was confirmed on Monday, Nov. 23, at Kwalikum Secondary School.
Dr. Kevin Elder, superintendent of SD69, said the school is carrying on as normal, with the exception of the exposure being identified.
“The operation of the school does not change going forward,” he said. “We were assured by the Health Authority that the school is safe even after an exposure,” Elder said. “They’ve taken anybody who may have been in close contact and required them to quarantine.”
Due to privacy concerns, Elder could not confirm if the person had been a student or staff member of the school.
In the press release sent out on Monday, it said that when a single case was identified public health officials referred to it as an ‘exposure’ oppose to a cluster or outbreak with multiple cases.
READ MORE: COVID-19 case confirmed at Qualicum Beach high school
The superintendent confirmed the one person identified was at the school during a contagious period on Nov. 18 and Nov. 19, and those who were in close contact have been required to stay home for two weeks.
He said the school district will make sure they continue with their safety protocols and will continue to do so, ‘all going well.’
“The exposure was taken care of by the Island Health, in terms of commuications that we provided and with the protocols that we continue to have in place.”
The Island Health website lists nine schools on Vancouver Island that have experienced at least one exposure this month.