New information being sent to parents of School District 43 is urging self-quarantine for staff and students returning from Hubei, China, the centre of the coronavirus outbreak.
A notice provided by Fraser Health and posted on the SD43 website Friday, Feb. 7, is reminding parents that while the risk of catching the disease is low, some precautions should be taken for those considering China travel or are returning from China.
“Students or staff returning from Hubei Province, China, consider staying home for 14 days after they left Hubei. They should monitor themselves daily for symptoms like fever or cough. Parents should assist children as needed,” the memo states.
For those students or staff who have been in other parts of China — outside Hubei Province — the memo doesn’t recommend quarantine but recommends daily monitoring for symptoms like fever or cough for 14 days, with parents assisting children as needed.
If symptoms develop, the memo suggests individuals should stay home and call their health-care provider or 811 to discuss any need for testing and follow up.
The memo doesn’t recommend canceling field trips or special events and says while wearing masks is a sign of respect for others in some communities and can prevent the spread of disease if you’re sick, they won’t necessarily work for children, whose faces are too small for the masks to fit properly.
“Some parents wonder if a child who is returning from an affected area of China should wear a mask to school. Since the main way the virus is spread is through coughing and sneezing, this isn’t necessary for healthy children. Wearing masks in public, with a goal of preventing the spread of illness, can be a way some communities show respect for others. While we do not recommend wearing masks for healthy children, it is important that any children who do wear masks are treated with respect and not fear.”
The recommendations were published after two new cases of the novel coronavirus were confirmed in Metro Vancouver last week, for a total of four patients in British Columbia.
The two presumptive positives were linked to a previous case announced Tuesday, Feb. 4, involving a woman in her 50s who was thought to have contracted the virus after coming in contact with family members visiting from Hubei province in China.
It’s not known how many people may be travelling to and from China in the school district especially since one major Canadian airline stopped all direct flights to China, following an advisory from the Canadian government to avoid all non-essential travel to the country.
However, some flights from major Chinese cities are continuing to arrive at the Vancouver International Airport and many people are reportedly self-quarantining in case they develop symptoms.
As a result, hundreds of volunteers in the Lower Mainland have stepped up to provide groceries and drop off cars for people trying to get to their homes, according to the Richmond News..
Fraser Health has also posted a list of Frequently Asked Questions for people concerned about coronavirus, including the level of risk, how coronavirus is treated and what people should do to protect themselves — the same precautions used to prevent the spread of colds and flu.
Meanwhile, for the second year in a row, SD43 trustees are not planning a cultural trip to China, as they have done in previous years. For several years the Chinese government through Hanban paid for trustees to visit China during spring break but this year there has been no discussion of an upcoming trip, according to spokesperson Ken Hoff.
Last year, however, then-board chair Barb Hobson, a Coquitlam trustee, did accompany school officials on a business trip in late May to China, paid for out of international education revenue.
