Students at Toronto elementary school may have been exposed to COVID-19

Whitney Junior Public School is seen in this photo taken on March 9, 2020. (CTV News Toronto)

TORONTO — Staff and students at an elementary school in Rosedale are being warned that they may have been exposed to an individual that has since tested positive for COVID-19.

Toronto’s Medical Officer of Health Dr. Eileen de Villa sent a letter to members of the Whitney Junior Public School community over the weekend, informing them that an individual with a confirmed case of the virus visited the building on March 4.

The TDSB has said that the individual was not a staff member or student at the school, though their reason for being there has not been released.

In her letter, De Villa said that the individual was not symptomatic on the day they visited the school and therefore the risk to staff and students is considered low.

Nonetheless, members of the school community are being urged to monitor for symptoms and to call ahead if they need to seek medical treatment.

In a statement provided to CP24 on Monday, Toronto Public Health said that it routinely follows up directly with people who may have been exposed to an individual with COVID-19 after “doing a careful risk assessment for each individual situation.”

It said that for individuals believed to be at a “lower risk,” it asks them to “self-monitor for signs and symptoms” of the virus, as it did with the Whitney Junior Public School community.

“As we are notified of cases of COVID-19, we carefully evaluate them individually and follow up immediately with these people to connect directly with them and to identify their close contacts. We use current evidence to assess potential health risk, provide education, further instructions and to reduce the potential of virus spread,” the statement reads. “Following an evidence-based assessment, we notify only those direct contacts of individuals who are infected with COVID-19 who may have been exposed and will give them advice on self-isolation and self-monitoring based on the evidence-based risk assessment.”

TDSB spokesperson Ryan Bird says that caretaking staff have been doing “enhanced cleaning” on handrails, door knobs and push plates at all schools, given the emerging threat from COVID-19.

He said that no additional precautions have been taken specific to Whitney Junior Public School, however.

“We take our lead from Toronto Public Health and they have not recommended any additional precautions outside of what was outlined for the community in the letter,” Bird told CP24.

There have been 32 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Ontario so far, including four that were announced on Sunday alone.

David Williams, Chief Medical Officer of Health for Ontario, is expected to discuss the latest cases at a regularly scheduled briefing this afternoon.