School Community Member Tests Positive for COVID-19

A member of the Southern Okanagan Secondary School community has tested positive for COVID- 19. They are self isolating at home with support from local public health teams.

The individual was present on the school campus on November 30th and December 1st. They did not have any symptoms at that time; they became sick following school activities and sought testing immediately. They followed the school safety protocols. To protect the privacy of the individual affected, we will not be providing any additional details.

We are supporting Interior Health Authority as they undertake contact tracing to determine if anyother members of our school community were in contact with the person who tested positive for
COVID-19, and if any additional steps are required. We are following the protocol established for these circumstances:

• The health authority is performing contact tracing;

• The health authority will determine if anyone in the school community was in contact with the person who tested positive for COVID-19 while they were potentially infectious;

• The health authority will determine if anyone in the school community is a close contact that is required to self-isolate.

Only the health authority can determine who is a close contact.
If you are contacted by Interior Health Authority, please follow their advice. If you are not contacted by Interior Health, you can continue to attend school. Interior Health is recommending that all students and staff remain vigilant in monitoring for symptoms for COVID- 19. Testing is encouraged for anyone who develops symptoms.

The safety and well-being of our students, families and staff remains our highest priority.

Bev Young
Superintendent of Schools