At least 11 schools in Airdrie are reporting COVID-19 cases as of Nov. 10, according to letters published on the schools' websites this week.
While the Alberta government has an interactive map indicating which schools in the province are experiencing COVID-19 outbreaks, the map only lists schools with at least two confirmed cases.
In Airdrie, three schools are listed on the map as of noon on Nov. 12 – George McDougall High School, Herons Crossing School and École francophone d'Airdrie. However, several other local schools have recently confirmed COVID-19 outbreaks or individual cases.
On Nov. 10, Bert Church High School principal Ryan Reed issued a letter to parents and families of students. The letter, published on the school's website, stated four individuals from Bert Church have tested positive for the virus.
"We are working closely with Alberta Health Services (AHS) to ensure the necessary precautions are taken to protect students and staff," he wrote. "For privacy reasons, we will not be sharing more information about the individuals."Reed's letter stated the school will remain open for in-class learning, and that a deep clean of the school was completed before students returned to class Nov. 12.
Rob Kimura, principal of C.W. Perry School, issued a similar letter on the C.W. Perry website Nov. 10, stating one individual within the school has tested positive for COVID-19. Other letters about individual cases were issued Nov. 10 or 11 by the principals of Meadowbrook School, Coopers Crossing School, C.W. Perry School, Muriel Clayton School, Ralph McCall School and Windsong Heights School.
"Those students and staff, who our records show would likely have had close contact with the individual who tested positive, have been provided additional information in a separate email about required isolation and will be contacted directly by AHS by email in the days ahead," wrote Coopers Crossing Principal Todd Hennig.
Herons Crossing School's letter, posted on its website Nov. 11, indicated the school's most recent case was the school's seventh since the beginning of the school year.
The rising number of cases at Airdrie schools echoes the recent increase of cases in the city overall. As of Nov. 12, Airdrie's total number of active COVID-19 cases is at 239 – a drop from Nov. 9, when the city reported 247 cases. The city is still under "enhanced" status and a local mask bylaw remains in effect.
Chestermere continues to see rising cases as well, with 80 active cases and an outbreak of five or more cases at Chestermere Lake Middle School. Prince of Peace Lutheran School reported a single case Nov. 3, while Rainbow Creek Elementary School confirmed a case Nov. 2
Rocky View County, meanwhile, has 57 active cases, with the county under "enhanced" status. An individual case was identified at Kathyrn School Nov. 4.
Cochrane has 15 active cases, though two of its schools – RancheView School and Cochrane High School – are currently experiencing outbreaks of the virus. RancheView School is under "watch" status, meaning it has five or more active cases, while Cochrane High School is under "open," with two to four active cases. Individual cases of the virus have been identified at Ecole Manachaban Middle School and Westbrook School in recent weeks.
Scott Strasser, AirdrieToday.com
Follow me on Twitter @scottstrasser19
