London school temporarily closed after COVID-19 cases leave more than half of staff isolating

Three COVID-19 cases have forced a small school in south London to shut its doors temporarily.

On Saturday, the London District Catholic School Board (LDCSB) said Holy Rosary Catholic Elementary School will be closed from April 6 to 9 after half of the students along with two-thirds of staff were self-isolating due to the three positive cases.

In a statement, the board said the fact that more than half of their staff were isolating,combined with a shortage of teachers and educational assistants, prompted the closure due to operational concerns.

Theschool, which has less than 200 pupils, is set to reopen after the spring break scheduled from April 12 to 16.

Students will be learning remotely for the four days before the break.

Last month,two LDCSB schools in Woodstock were closed after COVID-19 outbreaks.

According to the Middlesex-London Health Unit,16 schools in the London region have COVID-19 cases among students or staff. Four of the schools are dealing with outbreaks.

The health unit has logged 244 new cases of COVID-19 between Friday and Saturday, more than half of the cases involve young adults aged 18 to 22.