Gulf Islands Secondary School has confirmed that a member of the school community has tested positive for COVID-19.
The school has not indicated if that individual is a student or a staff member, but Island Health has said that the school community was potentially exposed to the individual who tested positive on Nov. 26.
An email sent to GISS families on Dec. 1 states:
“This letter is to provide notification that a member of the GISS school community has tested positive for COVID-19. They are self-isolating at home with support from local public health teams.
“We are supporting Vancouver Island Health Authority as they undertake contact tracing to determine if any other members of our school community were in contact with the person who tested positive for COVID-19, and if any additional steps are required. We are following the protocol established for these circumstances:
“The health authority is performing contact tracing;
“The health authority will determine if anyone in the school community was in contact with the person who tested positive for COVID-19 while they were potentially infectious;
“The health authority will determine if anyone in the school community is a close contact that is required to self-isolate.
“Only the health authority can determine who is a close contact.
“If you are contacted by Vancouver Island Health Authority, please follow their advice.
“If you are not contacted by Vancouver Island Health Authority, it has been determined that your child is not at risk of developing COVID-19.
“To ensure personal privacy rights are maintained, we will not be providing additional details.
“The safety and well-being of our students, families and staff remains our highest priority. Please be reassured that our school will continue to implement the strict protocols and procedures we have in place so that children can continue to attend school as safely as possible.
“Students should continue to come to school while contact tracing is underway. As a reminder, please continue daily health checks to monitor your child for illness.
“We will continue to work closely with Vancouver Island Health Authority to provide ongoing communication as required.”