Saying they are “acting out of an abundance of caution,” the Department of Health has directed that specific classes and staff have to quarantine at three schools: St. George’s Prep [P2 Class and Specialist Teachers], Paget Primary [ASD Classes and Specialist Teachers], and Creative Touch Nursery.
A letter — which stated it was from the Ministry of Health to P2 parents at St George’s Preparatory, which started circulating via email yesterday afternoon — said. “This letter is to inform you that your child may have had a potential exposure at school to someone currently being assessed for Covid-19.
“Out of an abundance of caution, the Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit [ESU] is requiring that all students in Year 2 be quarantined for 14 days [kept home from school and other activities] during this assessment. This also includes not attending birthday parties, extra-curricular activities, play dates, etc. Non-essential visitors to the home must also be restricted.”
In a statement issued at around 10,00pm on Sunday night, Education Minister Diallo Rabain said, “The Department of Health has directed principals that specific classes and staff have to quarantine at the following schools:
- a. St. George’s Prep – P2 Class and Specialist Teachers
- b. Paget Primary – ASD Classes and Specialist Teachers
- c. Creative Touch Nursery
“The Department of Health has contacted parents and advised that if the siblings of students in the classes just mentioned at St. George’s Prep, Paget Primary or Creative Touch Nursery cannot be kept separate from each other, then they too must quarantine.
The Minister added that they are also taking the actions within the schools including deep cleaning and inspecting classrooms, hiring substitute staff and more.
He noted that Bermuda Public Schools remain open and “they will continue with their entry screening and safety and health protocols.”
Health Minister Kim Wilson added, “Two of the recent cases have close contacts with children in our school system. Principals and staff of the schools have been informed and instructions provided consistent with Public Health Guidelines. Testing is also being arranged with these schools, as was the case with the Saltus Grammar School. Some 240 persons were tested over the weekend including students, parents, teachers.
“Students in the said classes, as well as their teachers are required to quarantine for 14 days. Siblings of these children who are unable to live separately from their sibling being quarantined are also asked to quarantine. This is only if they are unable to quarantine, albeit living in the same household.
“We are acting out of an abundance of caution. Please note that just because persons have been quarantined – this doesn’t mean they are carrying the virus. The person may have had a potential exposure to someone currently being assessed. This is a very important distinction. We are actively assessing the close contacts for symptoms and awaiting test results.”
This makes a total of four schools currently instituting some form of quarantine for a class, as it follows after Saltus asked some students to stay home as they were “advised by the Department of Health that there is a possible Covid case in Bermuda connected with a student who attends our Lower Primary school.”
According to a tweet from Premier David Burt, “no school student [public or private] has tested positive for Covid-19” and the officials are “acting out of an abundance of caution to ensure that anyone who may have possibly been exposed is quarantined.”
