what if there is an outbreak at a school?

q: how does everyone play a role in preventing outbreaks in schools — even those who don’t have school-aged children?

a: infection is a loop between the community, schools, then back to the community, said  ashleigh tuite, an infectious disease epidemiologist and mathematical modeller at the university of toronto.

“if we have fewer cases in the community, there’s less chance we’ll introduce covid-19  into our schools, where we could see outbreaks,” she said.

“to use the whack-a-mole analogy, it’s easier to keep covid under control in schools if there are fewer moles to whack.”

q: what has happened in other jurisdictions?

infections “quickly mushroomed into the largest outbreak in a school in israel, possibly the world,” said the new york times about what happened at gymnasia ha’ivrit high school in jerusalem.

“the virus rippled out to the students’ homes and then to other schools and neighbourhoods, ultimately infecting hundreds of students, teachers and relatives.”

all the students and staff were tested and had to wait in line for hours. teachers who taught multiple classes were hardest hit. some were hospitalized.

the israeli education ministry later shut down schools with even a single case, closing 240 schools and quarantining more than 22,520 teachers and students. re-opening schools was identified as a major contributor to a second wave of covid-19.

the school year in israel is scheduled to start on sept. 1. recommendations for the reopening have included creating cohorts of 10 to 15 students, staggering school schedules, online classes for some students, mandatory masks for older students and frequent sanitizing.

q: could what happened in israel happen in ontario?

a: it’s not outside the realm of possibility, said tuite. but she points out that there were some factors at play in israel that led to these outcomes.

“these were very large overcrowded classrooms. people weren’t wearing masks because there was a heatwave.”

even if schools are perfectly set up, positive cases will still appear, she said.

“if cases do get in, as they very likely will, what do you do to minimize it? schools have never been zero risk. there is a risk associated with every action.”

q: will ontario’s schools be safe in september?

a: there are both academic and social harms to children is schools stay closed, points out moloughney.

“we’re looking to make school as safe as possible. we’re reopening while we have covid (in the community) so the question becomes how to design and weigh reopening schools in a way to make it as safe as possible.”