Two P.E.I. elementary schools to close Monday due to COVID-19 cases

CORNWALL, P.E.I. -

Two elementary schools will be closed on Prince Edward Island on Monday after two children tested positive for COVID-19.

P.E.I. Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Heather Morrison confirmed four new cases in a release issued Sunday, involving two people in their 30s and two children under the age of 12, all from the same household.

Morrison says the cases are related to out-of-province travel, and all four tested negative on Monday, Nov. 1, before testing positive on Saturday.

Morrison says one of the children attends the Westwood Primary School, and the other is a student at Eliot River Elementary School in Cornwall, P.E.I., so both will be closed on Monday out of an abundance of caution.

“A decision was made to close Westwood Primary and Eliot River schools for one day to allow time for public health to complete contact tracing, testing of close contacts and for the school to undergo a deep cleaning," said Morrison during Tuesday's news update.

She says neither of the children are displaying any symptoms, but they both attended school on Wednesday when they may have been infectious.

Morrison says there are 55 close contacts identified, and contact tracers are getting in touch with students, teachers and staff in the children's cohorts and on their school buses.

“This situation is significantly different than the situation we had with school cases in P.E.I. in September," said Morrison during Monday's news update. Based on initial test results, we are not dealing with a school-based outbreak, but rather isolated cases at two schools.”

Children who travelled on Bus #81 to or from Westwood Primary School on Wednesday, Nov. 3, are not considered close contacts, and are being asked to be tested Monday, and monitor for symptoms until next Wednesday.

There are currently seven active cases of COVID-19 on the Island.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 7, 2021.