Multiple area schools close due to COVID-19 ahead of holiday break
Several schools have been temporarily closed due to COVID-19, including the first closure of a London high school for the current school year.
The London District Catholic School Board’s (LDCSB) website confirms that St. Andre Bessette in the city’s northwest end has been closed.
It is the result of many staff and students having to quarantine after possibly being exposed to the Omicron variant.
As of Monday there are four cases at the school and “more to come,” according to the LDCSB Director of Education Vince Romeo.
“It was because of the vast numbers of students affected and staff over multiple classrooms that we made the decision to move to remote learning for this week,” said Romeo.
Meanwhile the Thames Valley District School Board (TVDSB) has closed Westmount Public School ahead of the winter break.
According to the board there have been several close contacts with a confirmed case of COVID-19 with potential links to the Omicron variant.
The number of close contacts has made staffing the school a challenge and therefore it will shift to online learning for the final week.
The same also goes for Caradoc Public School in Mount Brydges. It will temporarily close starting Dec 14. The school will be transitioning to virtual learning until the end of the winter break.
The TVDSB had already closed Princess Elizabeth School last Thursday for similar reasons.
The schools are expected to reopen following the holiday break on Jan. 3, 2022.
In addition, two French-language school are closed according to the Conseil Scolaire Catholique Providence.
École élémentaire catholique Saint-Jean-de-Brébeuf and École élémentaire catholique Sainte-Jeanne-d'Arc are both closed.
They are the latest schools to be affected by a surge of cases in the community that has closed a number of schools.
St. Marguerite d'Youville School, St. Nicholas Catholic School and St. Mary Choir and Orchestra Catholic School were expected to reopen Monday after being closed for nearly a week.
On Monday Ontario reported 1,536 new COVID-19 cases as the positivity rate continues to climb.
- With files from CTV News London's Jennifer Basa
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Half of Canadians have negative opinion of latest Liberal budget: poll
A new poll suggests the Liberals have not won over voters with their latest budget, though there is broad support for their plan to build millions of homes.
Twins from Toronto were Canada's top two female finishers at this year's Boston Marathon
When identical twin sisters Kim and Michelle Krezonoski were invited to compete against some of the world’s most elite female runners at last week’s Boston Marathon, they were in disbelief.
opinion Why you should protect your investments by naming a trusted contact person
Appointing a trusted person to help with financial obligations can give you peace of mind. In his personal finance column for CTVNews.ca, Christopher Liew outlines the key benefits of naming a confidant to take over your financial responsibilities, if the need ever arises.
Ottawa injects another $36M into vaccine injury compensation fund
The federal government has added $36.4 million to a program designed to support people who have been seriously injured or killed by vaccines since the end of 2020.
Senate expenses climbed to $7.2 million in 2023, up nearly 30%
Senators in Canada claimed $7.2 million in expenses in 2023, a nearly 30 per cent increase over the previous year.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
Photographer alleges he was forced to watch Megan Thee Stallion have sex and was unfairly fired
A photographer who worked for Megan Thee Stallion said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was forced to watch her have sex, was unfairly fired soon after and was abused as her employee.
NASA hears from Voyager 1, the most distant spacecraft from Earth, after months of quiet
NASA has finally heard back from Voyager 1 again in a way that makes sense. The most distant spacecraft from Earth hadn't sent home any understandable data since last November.
Australian police arrest 7 alleged teen extremists linked to stabbing of a bishop in a Sydney church
Australian police arrested seven teenagers accused of following a violent extremist ideology in raids across Sydney on Wednesday, as a judge extended a ban on social media platform X sharing video of a knife attack on a bishop that started the criminal investigation.