Manitoba public health issued a letter on Sunday to parents of students at Portage Collegiate Institute concerning a confirmed case of COVID-19 on October 19 & 20.

It was reported that the individual(s) may have been infectious. The school is working closely with public health officials and is following their recommendations. They note that at this time, there is no evidence of further spread in the school, and students can continue to attend school as long as they do not have symptoms of COVID-19.

Close contacts have been identified and will have to isolate, with an additional 4 days of self-monitoring. Manitoba Health If your child has not been identified as a close contact, public health officials still recommend that you closely monitor your child for symptoms of COVID-19 for two weeks after the exposure date.

Public health is asking that if your child develops a new onset or worsening of any one symptom listed in the following column Column A or any two or more symptoms listed in Column B, even if they are mild, immediately isolate them from others. They recommend that your child get tested for COVID-19 as soon as symptoms appear. You may go directly to the nearest COVID-19 testing location during their open hours. For the testing site nearest you, please visit https://manitoba.ca/covid19/testing/index.html, or call Health Links—Info Santé at 204-788-8200 or toll-free at 1-888-315-9257.

Public health officials are also advising the following for anyone with a household member who is symptomatic, but not identified as a close contact to a confirmed COVID-19 case:

  • household members who have no symptoms should wear a mask and physical distance where possible when outside the household, and avoid leaving the home for nonessential reasons until the symptomatic person’s test result is available.

 

Individuals with symptoms outlined in Columns A and B, who choose not to be tested, must isolate for a minimum of 10 days following the start of symptoms. Isolation can be stopped at
day 10 if the individual has been symptom-free for 24 hours.

Please note the following:

  • Public health officials strongly encourage testing so it can be determined whether COVID-19 transmission has occurred within the school.
  • The school is not permitted to release the name or any identifying information about the confirmed case(s) of COVID-19 to any member of the school, community, or media.
  • The school will focus on preventative measures during this two-week monitoring period to reduce the risk of further transmission. This may include postponing group activities, and continuing to encourage preventative measures such as physical distancing, appropriate mask use, and hand hygiene among students. You may notice some adjustments to their learning plans as a result. If there are any updates on further cases or extensions to the monitoring period, you will be notified.

For more public health information about COVID-19, please visit https://manitoba.ca/covid19/updates/resources.html.