Appendix S - Outbreak Protocol

Staying home when appropriate

• COVID-19 can cause a range of symptoms, including fever, cough, sore throat and shortness of breath. These symptoms can appear in a few days or up to 14 days after being exposed to the virus. For some people, symptoms are like having a cold; for others, they may be severe or life-threatening.

• The virus is transmitted via droplets during close, unprotected contact with an infected person, or by touching a contaminated surface and then the mouth, nose or eyes.

• Keeping safe at work involves understanding how people could come into contact with COVID-19 as they perform their jobs, and then taking steps to minimize contact. All staff required to enter Board sites and schools to perform essential duties must minimize the risk of COVID-19 in the workplace by not coming to work if they are:

  • are sick or experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 (fever, new or worsening cough, and/or shortness of breath - See the Grey Bruce Public Health website for a full list of symptoms)

  • have returned to Canada in the last 14 days

  • have been in close physical contact with a person who returned from outside of Canada in the past two weeks

  • are self-isolating

  • have had close contact with someone who is ill with suspected or confirmed COVID-19

• If staff are in self-isolation, ill or cannot come in due to an extenuating circumstance, they should inform their Principal/Supervisor so that alternate arrangements can be made for them to access the materials they need or to cover their responsibilities.

Screening/self-assessment

Staff screening

• Staff attending the workplace must perform a self-assessment for COVID-19 (self-assessment for COVID-19) prior to coming in each day they are scheduled to come in. If the self-assessment directs them to stay at home and monitor their health or to get tested for COVID-19, they must not come to work. Supervisors must be alerted immediately.

Student screening

• Parents/caregivers will be required to perform daily screening of their children before arriving at school. Teachers and other staff members will be provided with information on signs and symptoms of COVID-19 in children so that appropriate action can be taken if children develop symptoms and signs of COVID-19 while at school.

• Due to the wide range of symptoms for COVID-19 and evolving understanding of the disease, a low threshold for symptoms will be advised. Students should be taught how to identify their own symptoms and should be instructed to speak to a staff member immediately if they experience symptoms.

Essential visitor screening

• Signs will be posted at all entry doors reminding essential visitors to complete the self-assessment before entering the school, and to not enter if they do not pass the self-assessment.

• Essential visitors will also be required to check-off that they have completed the self-assessment upon sign-in.

Isolation Rooms

All schools must:

• Identify a room or rooms in the school (where available) where students showing symptoms of COVID-19 can be isolated from other students and staff. These rooms need to be identified on the site planning checklist so all staff are aware of their location. The isolation room should be located as close to an exit (preferably the main entrance/exit) as possible.

• Have a clearly defined process to notify parents/caregivers if their child begins to show symptoms of COVID-19 while at school, including the need for immediate pick-up. This process includes directing parents to sign in and go directly to the isolation room.

• Each isolation room must be supervised by a staff member with supervisory responsibilities.

• Each isolation room shall contain several PPE kits. Each kit shall contain: alcohol-based hand sanitizer, gloves, surgical/procedural masks, eye protection, and a gown.

• The kit is to be used by the ill individual and staff member attending to them; Instructions on proper use of PPE will be posted in the isolation room door.

• In the event that the number of symptomatic children outnumber the number of vacant rooms available then they can isolate in the same room but preference is that each individual be isolated in a separate room whenever possible.

• All supervisory staff and students in an isolation room must:

1. Maintain a minimum distance of two metres from each other at all times.

2. Wear all PPE available in the kit.

3. Practice proper hand hygiene (i.e. washing hands and/hand sanitizing).

If a staff member develops COVID-19 symptoms, they should return home and self-isolate as soon as possible. However, if they cannot leave the school immediately, they should also self-isolate in a separate room until they are able to return home and self-isolate.

All rooms and spaces that are used for the self-isolation of symptomatic staff and students must be thoroughly and properly cleaned and disinfected as soon as possible, once the room is vacated by the individual(s) being isolated. Signage will be available for posting to visually indicate if a room is clean and available for use or not.

Management and supervision of individuals with suspected COVID-19

• Administrators and staff will be given guidance that has been vetted by Grey Bruce Public Health with a list of symptoms of COVID-19. All individuals displaying symptoms will be isolated and arrangements made to be sent home.

• Students displaying cases will be isolated as per the “isolation room” procedure described above.

• Staff with suspected COVID-19 symptoms will be asked to leave the workplace immediately. If they cannot leave on their own, arrangements will be made to have them picked up by a family member/cab, etc., while they wait in the isolation room.

• Anyone providing care or supervision must maintain a distance of at least two metres and utilize appropriate PPE from the kit. Parents must be called immediately and directed to isolate the student and seek testing.

• Any soiled personal items will be placed in a securely tied plastic bag and sent home with the individual. Soiled items must not be rinsed and/or washed at a board site.

Outbreak considerations for schools

Testing

• All schools and Catholic Education Centre will follow current provincial testing guidance.

• All schools and Catholic Education Centre will follow Grey Bruce Public Health response guidance when an individual tests positive for COVID-19.

• If Grey Bruce Public Health identifies that a staff member’s illness is work related, the illness will be treated as an Occupational Illness as per Section 52 of the OHS Act. If a claim is made to the WSIB, by or on behalf of the staff member with respect to an occupational illness, notice will be given to the Ministry of Labour, Training and Skills Development, the Multi-Workplace Joint Health and Safety Committee and staff member’s trade union, if applicable.

• Staff, students and visitors will be directed to seek testing if they are demonstrating any symptoms of COVID-19 or if they do not pass the self-assessment for any other reason.

• Staff, students, parents and visitors will be expected to report the results of their COVID-19 test to their supervisor or the School Administrator as soon as they are available so additional action can be taken if necessary.

Contact tracing

When a positive case is identified:

• School Administrators will work with the superintendent of education and Grey Bruce Public Health to conduct contact identification and follow-up with identified contacts. Grey Bruce Public Health will require student attendance records, cohort and contact information, and essential visitor sign-in records.

• It is critical that student information in Maplewood be current as Grey Bruce Public Health will require accurate contact information, immediately, for Contact Tracing.

• Essential Visitor Records (e.g. name, contact information, time of arrival/departure, screening completion, etc.) must be kept up to date and available to facilitate contact tracing.

When an individual demonstrates symptoms

If an employee demonstrates symptoms while at work:

• The staff member should return home immediately and be directed to self-isolate and seek testing. If they cannot leave immediately, the staff member must wait in an Isolation Room until they can be picked up. Protocol for Staff with COVID-19 Symptoms

If a student demonstrates symptoms while at school:

• The student must be immediately separated from others and moved to an Isolation Room until they can be picked up. Anyone providing care or supervision must maintain a distance of at least two metres and use appropriate PPE from the kit.

• Students, where possible, will be required to wear appropriate PPE while in the Isolation Room. Parents/guardians must be called immediately, and directed to isolate the student and seek medical advice and testing.

• It is essential that student information in Maplewood be current if the need arises for students to be picked up immediately from school. Protocol for Student with COVID-19 symptoms

When a positive case is identified

If a Principal/Supervisor is made aware of a student who has tested positive for COVID-19:

• The Principal/Supervisor will contact the Manager of Facilities and their Superintendent to provide the student’s last day of attendance and cohort info.

• The Principal/Supervisor will prepare information as required for contact tracing (see Contact Tracing section).

• If the student attends a Before and After school program or is a bus student, a list of the students (and staff members) outside of the student’s class/cohort, with contact information, must be prepared for Grey Bruce Public Health.

• If the student has only had contact with their own class/cohort, then that cohort should be contained in their classroom until further action is directed by Grey Bruce Public Health. Students may need to be sent home earlier in the day as opposed to going on a school bus or to an after-school program to minimize interaction with others. A letter will be provided to parents from our Communications Department (in collaboration with Director of Education and/or Superintendent of Education and Grey Bruce Public Health) informing parents of the situation and whether students can return to school or need to self-isolate.

• It will need to be determined whether the student wore a mask and consistently maintained physical distance while interacting with others, as this will significantly reduce the risk of transmission and will help Grey Bruce Public Health complete a risk assessment and give direction to the school.

• The Director of Education and/or Superintendent of Education, Manager of Facilities and Grey Bruce Public Health will work with the School Administrator to determine the course of action at the school level, which may include a deep cleaning of a particular classroom or a particular wing/area of a school.

If a Principal/Supervisor is made aware of an employee who has tested positive for COVID-19:

• The Principal/Supervisor will contact their Superintendent, the Facilities Manager and the Supervisor of Health and Safety to provide the employee’s name, position, last day of work, and date of positive test result.

• The Principal/Supervisor will prepare information as required for contact tracing (see Contact Tracing section).

• If the employee has been working directly with students (e.g. Educational Assistant (EA) or Planning Time Teacher, working with multiple students or cohorts) a list of those students and cohorts, with contact information, must be prepared for Grey Bruce Public Health.

• If the employee is a Homeroom Teacher and has only had contact with their own class/cohort, then that cohort should be contained in their classroom until further action is directed by Grey Bruce Public Health. Students may need to be sent home earlier in the day as opposed to going on a school bus or to an after-school program to minimize interaction with others. A letter will be provided to parents from our Communications Department (in collaboration with the Director of Education and/or Superintendent of Education and Grey Bruce Public Health) informing parents of the situation and whether students can return to school or need to self-isolate.

• It will need to be determined whether the employee wore PPE and maintained physical distance while interacting with others, as this will significantly reduce the risk of transmission and will help Grey Bruce Public Health complete a risk assessment and give direction to the school.

• The Director of Education and/or Superintendent of Education, Manager of Facilities, Supervisor of Health and Safety and Grey Bruce Public Health will work with the School Administrator to determine the course of action at the school level, which may include a deep cleaning of a particular classroom or a particular wing/area of a school.