(File photo/CJME News)

By Lara Fominoff, CJME News

Children who are close household contacts of COVID-19 cases must now self-isolate: Ministry of Health

Oct 2, 2021 | 12:20 PM

The provincial government has quietly amended a public health order on students and when they must isolate.

An amendment to the “Public Health Order Mandatory Isolation and Face Covering ,” dated Sept. 30, states that:

“A pupil whose self-isolation is exempted by subsection (b) who is or becomes a close contact of an individual with COVID-19 due to exposure in the household must self-isolate in accordance with subsection 2(b), and their self-isolation exemption pursuant to subsection (b) is automatically revoked.”

Subsection 2(b) reads as follows:

“…All individuals that are a close contact of an individual with COVID-19 shall self-isolate for 14 days from the date of their last exposure to COVID-19.”

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During a news conference on Wednesday, chief medical health officer Dr. Saqib Shahab hinted that changes may be coming to the Public Health Order.

“Obviously, schools are doing a great job of keeping student safe. And while students who are close contacts in the school setting can continue to attend school, we are looking at other aspects of the public health order because exposures in the home and other settings sometimes do result in increased importations to schools.

“So, even though schools are not the source of transmission, schools are reflecting the high… transmission which…is primarily in the unvaccinated.”

According to a statement from the Health Ministry, the change was made to reflect current COVID-19 trends.

“Where cases have been reported among children and youth, this has generally been acquired through household and community transmission.”

The statement goes on to say that being exposed in a household to a case is “very high risk” with greater possibility for disease transmission.

If COVID-19 exposure occurs within the school setting, the ministry says schools and school division will continue to be notified by public health officers, and parents and students will be informed.

School divisions will then work with local medical health officers to figure out if or when a cohorting situation should be implemented, or if a class or school should move to remote learning.