WELLINGTON COUNTY – Nine days after returning to class, 12 schools in the Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health (WDGPH) region, including two in Wellington County, are reporting student COVID-19 cases.
As of Feb. 17, the Upper Grand District School Board was reporting student cases at each of the following schools:
- Erin District High School, one case, one class/cohort closed;
- JD Hogarth Public School in Fergus, two cases, two classrooms closed;
- Sir Isaac Brock Public School in Guelph, one case, all classrooms open;
- Priority Park Public School in Guelph, one case, all classrooms open;
- Arbour Vista Public School in Guelph, one case, one classroom closed;
- Guelph Collegiate Vocational Institute, one case, one classroom closed; and
- Westwood Public School in Guelph, one case, one classroom closed;
- Waverly Drive Public School in Guelph, one case, closures unknown.
- Westside Secondary School in Orangeville, two cases, closures unknown.
Wellington Catholic District School Board was reporting one case each at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic High School and St. Patrick Catholic Elementary School, both in Guelph. No classrooms were closed at either school as of Feb. 17.
Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board is reporting two student cases at St. Benedict Catholic Elementary School in Orangeville (no closures).
Across Ontario, 152 schools currently have active COVID-19 cases and four schools are closed due to outbreaks.
Locally, students returned to in-class instruction on Feb. 8 after five-weeks of online learning due to the province-wide lockdown and stay-at-home order.
“Ontario is ready to open our schools because it is safe,” education minister Stephen Lecce stated during a Feb. 3 press conference announcing the return.
He noted “there is nothing more profoundly important” than protecting students.
The province initially introduced a one-week period of online learning (Jan. 4 to 11) as part of the lockdown that came into effect on Dec. 26.
That period was extended to coincide with the province’s second COVID-19 emergency declaration and a stay-at-home order issued on Jan. 14.
Prior to the Christmas break, 16 schools in the WDGPH region were reporting active cases and a total of 53 schools and five child care facilities in the region had reported cases since September.
Resolved cases
The following is a list of schools that have reported COVID-19 cases since Feb. 8 but later were removed from the school board list and/or had cases resolved:
- Minto Clifford Public School, one case, all classrooms open, removed from list on Feb. 17.
