Deer Lake schools, town buildings advised to stay open despite community transmission of COVID-19

While several elementary school-age children in Deer Lake have tested positive for COVID-19, western Newfoundland's medical officer of health says schools, restaurants and the town recreation complex don't need to close down.

Dr. Monika Dutt of Western Health says the health authority is contactinganyone of school age or in a classroom who may be connected to someone who is positive.

"We have been doing that follow up and there is no recommendation that the school needs to be closed," she told CBC News on Tuesday.

Dutt said she couldn't provide exact numbersbut said there have been severalpositive cases in the Deer Lake area over the last few weeks. There were 11 new cases confirmed Monday in the Western Health region, with 15 total active cases.

"There is some transmission happening within the community that we may not know about," said Dutt.

WATCH:Virologist Rod Russell talk about the province's plan to roll out COVID-19 booster shots:

Questions about COVID-19 boosters in N.L. answered

3 years ago

Duration 4:49

Virologist Rod Russell talks about the province's plan to rollout COVID-19 booster shots.

On Saturday,Western Health advised of a potential exposure atthe Hodder Memorial Recreation Complex Pool. On the same day, the Newfoundland and Labrador English School District sent a letter to families at Elwood Elementary about a positive COVID-19 case.

Exposure advisories

Western Health has released several potential exposure advisories in the past two weeks, including at the Riff's store and the Salvation Army Citadel in Deer Lake, restaurants and car dealerships in Corner Brook, and the Fisherman's Landing restaurant in Rocky Harbour.

Duttsaid it's not clear where some people who were infected contracted the virus, and the delta variant may be spreading without Public Health's knowledge.

Public health officials in the Eastern Health region also released a number of potential exposure notifications Tuesday afternoon. Anyone who visited the following locations at the times and dates listed should book a COVID-19 test.

• Broderick's Pub at 201 Water St.,St. John'sfrom 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Dec. 10.
• Gypsy Tea Room at 315 Water St., St. John's from8:30 p.m. to9:30 p.m. on Dec. 8 and 8 p.m. to 9 p.m.on Dec. 10.
• Slainte Bar at 115 Duckworth St., St. John'sfrom 9:45 p.m. to 1 a.m. on Dec. 8.
• Starbucks at 2 Stavanger Dr., St. John's from 11:30 a.m. to noon on Dec. 10.
• The Duke of Duckworth at 325 Duckworth St., St. John's from7 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Dec. 9.

Schools stay open

While there have been two confirmed cases at Elwood Elementary in Deer Lake, there has also been possible exposures at Xavier Junior High and Elwood High School in the past week.

Many who have tested positive or have been possibly exposed to the virus are too young to be fully vaccinated and have to self-isolate for two weeks.

To help families and community members get tested, Public Heath has set up a drive-thru testing site at the Immaculate Conception Parish Hall in Deer Lake.

Some restaurants, includingthe Dairy Queen in Deer Lake, have closed to in-person dining, citing the rising numberof cases.

• Deer Lake municipal buildings reopening as small COVID-19 cluster stabilizes

The Town of Deer Lake has gone beyond public health guidelines in the past when COVID-19 cases were prevalent in the community. The town office and recreation complex closed to the public last year when cases starting popping up at the town office and school.

Mild symptoms

Dutt says she understands people are concerned, but symptoms have been mild in the cases detected so far and have not required any hospitalization.

"That has been reassuring, not to see people getting really sick," she said.

"We also have good vaccination coverage in this area. Even if we can't track exactly how the infection came into the community, when there is good vaccination coverage it doesn't spread very far."

Read more from CBC Newfoundland and Labrador