While there have been at least 14 COVID-19 cases at Sa-Hali Secondary, the superintendent for School District 73 says schools in general continue to remain safe places.

Speaking to NL News, Terry Sullivan though admits the situation is concerning with at least 18 staff and about 200 students self-isolating as of the last update yesterday.

“It is frustrating I think for people, especially in the wake of the Christmas holidays that we are seeing these increases,” he said. “One is concerned about that and it sends the message that you know, we are not out of this pandemic and we really have to follow the guidelines that have been laid down by [public] health.”

Sullivan also says he is fairly certain COVID-19 got into Sa-Hali Secondary School as a result of increased transmission in Kamloops.

“We saw those numbers certainly at Sa-Hali increase over a two week period. You know, its pretty clear that the transmission in schools is very very low compared to the transmission in the overall community, but having said that, we’re very concerned as these numbers are climbing in our communities in the Interior,” he said.

“When you take 11 out of 900 students and three out of 73 staff and you do the math, its a fairly small percentage of those numbers, but its concerning because we saw those numbers increase over a two week period but when we look at the transmission in communities compared to schools, its pretty clear that the transmission in school in very low compared to transmission in the overall community.”

Sullivan says there is regular COVID-19 screening as well as ongoing sanitization, the use of masks and plexiglass, and other safety measures at all SD73 schools.

“Its more difficult for the virus to be transmitted in a school but we’re in a pandemic, so there is going to be transmission,” he added. “It doesn’t mean there is absolutely not risk, but I think we’ve done a pretty good job of trying to keep our schools controlled and limiting the transmission of the virus in schools.”

There are now ten schools in the Kamloops-Thompson School District with an active COVID-19 exposure. Other schools with active exposures in Kamloops are Marion Schilling Elementary, Valleyview Secondary, Summit Elementary, Beattie Elementary, NorKam Secondary, Aberdeen Elementary, Arthur Stevenson Elementary, the Twin Rivers Education Centre, and Westsyde Secondary.

An exposure has also been reported at the private St. Ann’s Academy.