Hanover School Division (HSD) provided more information about the COVID -19 cases reported in Blumenort School on Thursday.

In an interview Friday morning, HSD Superintendent Shelley Amos reported that there is a total of nine COVID-19 cases in the school and that steps have been taken to mitigate the transmission. She also says that despite the case count, Public Health did not deem it as an outbreak due to the specific circumstances in the school.

ort and monitored it each day."

She shares further, "So we monitored for a little while and then it came to the point where we'd had about 30% or so of our students in those grade five and six cohorts not attending for one reason or the other because there's fear and anxiety that comes along with it as well."

According to Amos, some families were electing to keep children home even though they weren't identified as close contacts. She points out that for teachers to have 30% at home and the other percent in class is an operational challenge which prompted the division to have another consultation with Public Health and the Medical Officer of Health.

"The Medical Officer of Health decided that it would be best to put the grade five and six cohorts into remote learning for the two-week period, so that will go until the 23rd. At this point, they would be eligible to come back on the 24th, which would still give them a few days to wrap things up with their teachers in person for the year."

Amos assures students and their parents that they are also monitoring the rest of the school to see if no new cases emerge. She says that if cases continue in other cohorts, the division is prepared to make a further intervention.