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Second COVID-19 exposure reported in Nanaimo school; junior hockey games postponed

A new COVID-19 exposure has been reported at a Nanaimo school — the second in less than a week. A notice posted on the Island Health website says there was an exposure at John Barsby Secondary on Nov.
Victoria Times-Colonist Staff
0315-coronavirus
A microscopic look at a coronovirus, revealed by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A novel coronavirus, named Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus 2, or SARS-CoV-2, was identified as the cause of an outbreak of respiratory illness, the CDC says. It was first detected in Wuhan, China, last year, and subsequently spread around the globe. The illness caused by this virus was named coronavirus disease 2019, or COVID-19.CDC

A new COVID-19 exposure has been reported at a Nanaimo school — the second in less than a week.

A notice posted on the Island Health website says there was an exposure at John Barsby Secondary on Nov. 5 and 6, when someone with a lab-confirmed COVID-19 infection attended the school.

It is the second exposure in the district.

Dover Bay Secondary, which reported an exposure on Nov. 2 and 5, says there was a second exposure on Nov. 6. The school is not considered to have a cluster of cases, meaning two or more people with COVID-19 were at the school.

According to messages on the school district’s Facebook page, the infected individuals at both schools are at home isolating and Island Health is conducting contact tracing.

As a result of the school exposures, the Vancouver Island Junior Hockey League has cancelled several games. Some of the league’s players attend schools in the Nanaimo-Ladysmith district.

Simon Morgan, the league’s president, said no player has tested positive for COVID-19. Four games scheduled for Nov. 12, 13 and 14 have been postponed.

The teams “are taking this measure out of an abundance of caution and to do everything that they can to help slow the spread of COVID-19,” Morgan said in a statement. “We expect this pause will help ensure the continued safety of their players and is in the best interest of their families, our fans, volunteers and our communities’ safety.”