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Update: March 14, 2020
The Government of Saskatchewan updated their Travel Guidance on Friday, March 13, 2020. Please note the important information below and click the link to read the updated March 13 Coronavirus Information document.
The Public Health Agency of Canada is recommending residents postpone or cancel all non-essential travel outside of Canada. ALL TRAVELLERS are being asked to SELF-ISOLATE for 14 days after returning to Canada as a precaution. If this applies to your family, please contact your school upon your return and confirm the date your child will be able to return to school.
Chinook School Division is asking families to keep children at home if they have any cold or flu like symptoms. If they exhibit these symptoms at school, their parent or caregiver will be called and they will be sent home.
Also if a member of your household has recently returned to Canada from abroad, please contact your school as soon as possible.
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March 12, 2020
The Government of Saskatchewan has provided updated information on the Coronavirus. Please read the new Q&A:
Coronavirus2019-Public-QA-Mar112020.pdf
We have highlighted sections from the Q&A relating to schools and students:
Q: Our workplace/school has people who have travelled to an affected area. Should they stay home until they know they do not have COVID-19?
A: All travelers should self-monitor for symptoms of COVID-19 (fever, cough or difficulty breathing) for 14 days after returning to Canada and avoid places where you cannot easily separate yourself from others if you become ill. If you have even mild symptoms, stay home and call HealthLine 811 for advice.
If you have travelled to a country with a level three travel advisory, limit your contact with others for a total of 14 days starting the day you began your journey to Canada.
This means self-isolate and stay at home. Contact HealthLine 811 within 24 hours of arriving in Canada for direction.
If you have been in close contact with someone who is ill with COVID-19, you should self-isolate for 14 days from your last contact and actively monitor for symptoms.
If you do not have a travel history to/from an affected area and do not have symptoms of a cough or fever, you can go to work or to school.
Q: Are there special steps my daycare or school can take to prevent the spread of COVID-19?
A: COVID-19 is a respiratory illness and is transmitted in the same fashion as influenza. Administrators, teachers, caregivers, parents and students should take the same precautions they do to prevent the spread of influenza in the classroom.
Practice good cough/sneeze etiquette (into your elbow or tissue and immediately throw the tissue away), wash hands frequently and immediately after using tissues, and ensure regular environmental cleaning of the facility, particularly high-touch surfaces like doorknobs and faucet handles. Individuals who are sick should stay home.
Q: I have a child in my class or daycare that has developed a fever and shortness of breath. What do I do?
A: If you see symptoms of respiratory illness in a child (fever, coughing, shortness of breath), place that child in a separate space or a two metre distance from other children until their parent or caregiver can come for them. Provide them with tissues to support good cough and sneeze etiquette and remind them to maintain good hand hygiene. After they have been picked up, use a disinfectant cleanser for the surfaces they have contacted.
It’s important that a parent or caregiver can pick up the child and that they not take the bus or other mass transit while they are symptomatic. If there is no option except for that child to take the bus, advise the bus driver to try to maintain a two metre distance between them and other passengers for the best protection.
Q: When would a school be closed due to COVID-19?
A: There is currently no widespread transmission of COVID-19 in Canada. At this time, school closures are not recommended for the prevention of COVID-19 transmission.
The Public Health Agency of Canada recommends that schools take standard respiratory illness precautions - the same precautions that are recommended every year for cold and influenza season.
As the science and risk situation evolve, public health officials will update this advice.
For up to date and accurate information, please visit saskatchewan.ca/coronavirus.
Update: February 6, 2020
Saskatchewan’s Ministry of Health has provided updated information regarding the Coronavirus.
The guidance regarding travelers returning from China has officially changed and Canada is now recommending that those coming from Hubei Province (including the city of Wuhan) should self-isolate for 14 days upon their return, regardless of whether they are sick. Those coming from mainland China are being asked to actively monitor daily for any symptoms (fever, cough). All direction is to call HealthLine 811 for assessment and connection to primary health care.
The Coronavirus Update letter and resources below have been shared with school staff and families.
Coronavirus Update (Feb 6 2020).pdf
Coronavirus2019-WPSchoolQA-Feb-6-2020-v3.pdf
Self-Isolation Sheet.pdf
Infection Control Tips.pdf
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January 30, 2020
RE: Coronavirus update from Saskatchewan Ministry of Health
Dear families:
We are sharing some information to help ensure the health and safety of students and staff in Chinook schools. The Public Health Agency of Canada is monitoring the situation, and we are taking our direction from the Saskatchewan Ministry of Health.
