COVID cases spiking in western Newfoundland as testing in schools begins
CBC
A rapidly emerging COVID-19 cluster in the Deer Lake region of Newfoundland has left officials working to navigate the contagious Delta variant.
A cluster of 36 confirmed cases is tied to the region, Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Janice Fitzgerald said during Wednesdays COVID-19 briefing. The majority of cases are located in Deer Lake with some in Corner Brook and the surrounding area.
The Delta variant of the virus has also impacted several schools in the region.
Classes at Elwood Elementary in Deer Lake are suspended for Thursday and Friday after an individual connected to the school tested positive for COVID-19 — along with exposure notices shared each day as far back as Saturday. The school will instead open to serve as a COVID testing facility for students and staff beginning Thursday.
Positive cases have also been identified at Elwood Regional High School, Xavier Junior High in Deer Lake, Pasadena Academy, Pasadena Elementary and Eastside Elementary in Corner Brook.
Deer Lake Mayor Mike Goosney said the town has worked closely with Premier Andrew Furey — the district's MHA — and Public Health to stay on top of the situation, but says it does bring a degree of uncertainty around the community.
"We went through it last year in November [2020]… But I guess to quote a lot of the politicians people are starting to become fatigued. It doesn't feel as if the anxiety levels are as high, but they are high obviously when it gets into schools and there's a lot of parents wondering," he said Wednesday.
"Obviously, in this case there's a lot of youth and children that seem to be impacted this time around. So trying to get people to stick to facts and not stir up the rumour mill is some of the challenge, but that's to be expected."
The Corner Brook Minor Hockey Association has also cancelled its December sessions out of an abundance of caution, saying the safety of players is paramount.
Association President Darren Harvieux said he hopes the rise in cases will pass in the new year and that teams can get back to playing games. A potential COVID exposure notice was shared at the Hodder Memorial Recreation Complex Saturday — a venue teams in the association travel to.
"It did weigh on our minds, and we didn't really want to be in that situation," he said. "We just wanted to make sure that everyone can sort of get into the holiday season without any troubles in regards to COVID…Everyone is sort of taking a cautious approach."
Meanwhile, some businesses in the region have already shifted away from in-person service in favour of takeout or curbside pickup.
Keith Goulding, president of the Corner Brook Board of Trade, said businesses have been able to pivot before, but each time can bring its own challenges.
"It's coming on us now so quickly that business owners are just watching the reports with a bit of bated breath," he said.
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