The City of Toronto just announced that a child who had been attending the CampTO location at the Barbara Frum Community Centre in North York has tested positive for COVID-19.
In a news release published Wednesday afternoon, the city said the camper was sent home from camp with symptoms last week and has been self-isolating ever since.
"Out of an abundance of caution, CampTO programs at the Barbara Frum Community Centre and the Glen Long Community Centre will close for the remainder of the week," states the release.
"A small number of children from the CampTO program at Barbara Frum returned to camp at the same location as well as at Glen Long Community Centre. Each centre will undergo a deep cleaning before CampTO resumes on Monday, August 17."
CampTO participant at Barbara Frum Community Centre tests positive for COVID-19. News release: https://t.co/lryyzUjFyJ pic.twitter.com/8zySgPtkhZ
— City of Toronto (@cityoftoronto) August 12, 2020
The city says they're in the process of reaching out to families who have children attending camp at either of these locations, and they'll continue to notify these families as well as camp staff.
Any children who attended the CampTO locations from Aug. 4 to 12 and had direct contact with the participant will be contacted directly by Toronto Public Health, according to the city.
No other campers or staff have tested positive for the virus or experienced symptoms to date, but those who are considered to be high-risk will be instructed to seek testing and self-isolate for a period of 14 days.
Those who are considered low-risk, on the other hand, are advised to self-monitor for COVID-19 symptoms and seek testing only if they develop symptoms.
"Campers who test negative, remain asymptomatic, and are not required to self-isolate will be able to return to the CampTO locations on Monday," notes the release.
CampTO locations already have several safety measures in place to prevent a major outbreak from happening, including an enhanced ratio of staff to campers and reduced group sizes, use of masks indoors, physical distancing, mandatory health screening, enhanced facility cleaning, mandatory pre-camp health checks and requiring that cohorts stay together for a whole week without interacting with other campers.
The city says the remaining 118 CampTO locations will continue to operate as usual, though city and TPH staff will be looking into additional health protocols that could be implemented to avoid another situation like this.
The news comes as many parents and educators are feeling increasingly anxious and frustrated by the province's return-to-school plan, which does not require smaller classes for elementary aged students.
by Mira Miller via blogTO
No comments:
Post a Comment