New Omicron Variant of Concern and Case Management, and International Travel
December 9, 2021
Dear Families,
There are two emerging updates that we are sharing with families related to COVID-19.
New Omicron Variant of Concern and Case Management
As medical and public health experts learn more about the Omicron variant of concern, the Ontario Ministry of Health has provided interim guidelines to all public health units in the province, including Hamilton Public Health Services (HPHS). This precautionary approach is a strategy to reduce the risk of transmission of the Omicron variant in Hamilton and across the province. The guidelines can be found here: COVID-19 Variant of Concern Omicron Interim Guidance.
As we work with HPHS to implement these guidelines, families may see additional public health measures added to isolation requirements. We ask that families read any correspondence from HPHS carefully through the contact tracing letter to ensure we continue to keep our school communities safe and schools open.
Please remember this is not a new virus and the well-established public health measures we practice in our schools, at home, and in the community will help reduce the spread of COVID-19 and the Omicron variant of concern.
International Travel
Unvaccinated children under the age of 12 are exempt from federal quarantine if they travelled with someone who qualified to be exempt from quarantine, based on vaccination status. Regardless of this, they may not attend school or childcare for 14 days upon their return to Canada. The Federal Government has included this direction on the web page below for returning travelers. Individuals with all other quarantine exemptions (e.g., travelling for cross-border custody arrangements or travelling for medical treatment) may continue to attend school or childcare.
Please note that HPHS will treat any positive COVID-19 case who travelled outside of Canada or had contact with an individual who travelled outside of Canada in the past 14 days as a potential Omicron case. As such, they must follow the Province of Ontario’s interim guidance.
Resources:
- Government of Canada: https://travel.gc.ca/
- Ontario Government: https://www.ontario.ca/page/travelling-during-covid-19
- City of Hamilton: https://www.hamilton.ca/coronavirus/travellers
More information will be shared with families next week before the winter break as part of our COVID-19 Update for Families. In the meantime, if you have any questions, please contact your child/ren’s school.
Thank you,
Manny Figueiredo
Director of Education
Updated on Thursday, December 09, 2021.