Call for asymptomatic testing as possible COVID-19 exposure suspends classes at Stephenville schools

A small cluster of COVID-19 cases in the Stephenville areaprompted the suspension of classes Friday at two of the western Newfoundland town's schools due to a possible exposure, with its town office following suit.

Dr.Monika Dutt, the region's medical officer of health, told CBC News on Friday afternoon six cases have been confirmed in the area, with two presumptive cases. Dutt said the cases are connected, but the source of one is still under investigation.

She said it's too early to tell if any of the Stephenville cases are connected to the central Newfoundland cluster.

Posts from the Stephenville Middle School and Stephenville Primary School Facebook pages advised that because of a potential exposure, the Newfoundland and Labrador English School District was suspending classes at both schools for the day.

Western Health issued a media release Friday afternoonasking students and staff of Stephenville Primary School to getCOVID-19 tests,whether they are symptomatic or not,due to recent cases in the western Newfoundland region.

"This testing is part of a public health investigation to determine whether there has been transmission within the school. Being tested is an opportunity to help protect the health of all school and community members," Western Health said in the release.

Schools will reopen Monday, but Friday'sdecisionwas made because of potential staffing issues, a school district official said.

"We reached a point last night, I think it's fair to say, where there may have been a large number of staff that were asked to self-isolate until public health could get contact tracing, could get testing done, and then evaluate their readiness to return to work," said Dan O'Brien, an assistant director with the district.

O'Brien said the schools themselves were safe, and public health did not order them shut.

"There's actually no reason from a public healthperspective at the moment that we couldn't be having classes," O'Brien told CBC Radio's Newfoundland Morningon Friday.

Staff members who weren'ttold to self-isolate are to report to school, he said, to make plans in case some online learning is required for any self-isolating students, and to arrange for substitutes if necessary.

Possible cases under investigation

The origin ofpositive COVID-19 cases in Stephenvilleis not clear, and on Friday morning public health could not say whether they are travel-related.

"That's something we're very much looking at right now," said Dutt.

The number of cases of a COVID-19 outbreak in central Newfoundland rose to 60 on Friday, with that cluster driven by the contagious B1617 variant, first found in India. Some schools in that region closed for two days as a precaution, reopeningThursday, although the area remains under Alert Level 4.

As people in Stephenville await more information, its town management made the decision to close its town hall, a move backed by council, said Mayor Tom Rose.

"At this point in time, we're taking every precaution possible in the community," Rose said.

He urged people to follow public health guidelines and keep contacts low.

"They have to be very, very concerned," Rose said.

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