Fall semester ends with 116 schools on Lower Mainland COVID-19 exposure lists

On the last Friday before B.C. schools began their winter breaks, there were a total of 116 schools on COVID-19 exposure lists in the Lower Mainland.

On the last Friday before B.C. schools began their winter breaks, there were a total of 116 schools on COVID-19 exposure lists in the Lower Mainland.

That's 16 more than were on local lists last week, but still well below the average the region has seen since the school year began.

Most of the schools with recent exposures continue to be located in the Fraser Health region. Despite rising COVID-19 cases in Vancouver Coastal Health this week, that region's exposure list has not grown.  

Schools are added to the lists when a student or staff member tests positive and officials believe there is a risk of ongoing transmission to other members of the school community.

Fraser Health removes schools from its list two weeks after the last exposure date, while Vancouver Coastal Health removes schools four weeks after the last exposure date.

Exposure notifications are not posted for every case of COVID-19 associated with a school community, and schools are not added to the health authority lists until after close contacts have been notified directly by public health officials.