More schools have COVID-19 cases than reported, says advocacy group
Posted Sep 11, 2020 8:14 am.
Last Updated Sep 11, 2020 9:48 am.
CALGARY (660 NEWS) – A student advocacy group says more schools are being affected by COVID-19 than what the government has reported.
The Alberta Health website is currently showing active cases in three schools, all of which are designated as outbreaks.
However, Support our Students (SOS) Alberta is reporting 37 schools with at least one case of the virus.
The public education group started an online COVID-19 tracker last week to show parents which schools were reporting cases. So far, over 50,000 people have visited that site.
Wing Li with SOS Alberta believes the government should release more details as parents have the right to know.
“With the rapidly evolving situation, we think the government should be transparent in their reporting with schools because school environments are so dynamic. They are highly connected to our communities”
On Thursday, SOS called on the government to share details on students or staff currently in isolation due to COVID-19 exposure.
RELATED: School advocacy group asks for more details on COVID-19 outbreaks
“These are public health issues,” said Li. “We are communities that rely on one another to understand the true reality of what’s happening within the places we live, the places we go to school, where we travel to.”
As of Thursday, Henry Wise Wood High School and St. Wilford in Calgary had declared outbreaks, along with Chinook High School in Lethbridge.
Alberta’s Chief Medical Officer of Health has said an outbreak is declared in a school where there are two or more cases within a 14-day span.
