COVID-19 prompts Winnipeg School Division reminder on illness prevention

The Winnipeg School Division is asking parents to keep their children home from school if they have signs of respiratory illness and to postpone non-essential trips, in light of a rapidly evolving situation involving COVID-19. 

The letters were sent to parents at all 78 of its schools, laying out the province's recommendations in response to novel coronavirus. Parents and children are being asked to stay home until their symptoms are gone if they have signs of respiratory illness.

"We don't want to add to the anxiety and the panic that people are starting to feel, but at the same time, we really wanted our parents to know that we are prepared, we do have a plan, and here are some steps that you can do with the prevention, which is the phase that we're at," said senior communications officer Radean Carter.

The school division also shared information from the province asking parents to consider deferring travel "if it's not essential," to check federal COVID-19 travel advisories and to be aware of limited health services in some areas.

"To date, no laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 cases have been identified in Manitoba," the letter states in bold, while acknowledging the outbreak is continuing to evolve and grow worldwide.

Cancelled trips

A handful of planned curriculum trips with the Winnipeg School Division are under review, said Carter, but none have been cancelled.

On Monday night, Brandon and Mountain View school divisions cancelled a total of four school trips to Japan, Italy and Germany. 

"We felt that the responsible thing to do was to cancel the trip[s], understanding it was a really difficult decision because we know it will be so, so disappointing for students who have been looking forward to this for a long time," said Linda Ross, chair of trustees for the Brandon School Division.

The move affects 70 students and 12 staff, and families received the majority of their money back, she said.

Mountain View officials cancelled trips to Italy and Japan based on travel advisories, a spokesperson said, but a trip to Costa Rica will still happen unless advisories change.

The Winnipeg School Division letter also includes Manitoba Health's suggestion that people monitor themselves for symptoms — fever, cough, runny nose, sore throat, shortness of breath or trouble breathing — for two weeks after they travel.

The school division has a pandemic plan that happens every year before flu season, which lists ways to prevent the spread of illness and how the division would proceed in the event of a pandemic, the letter says. 

Parents can check winnipegsd.ca/parents and the Manitoba Health website as the situation evolves, and phone Health Links if they need more information. Parents will be informed immediately if schools are to close, as well as if any school trips will be cancelled, a division spokesperson said.