MHPSD readying for any situation

By JEREMY APPEL on March 13, 2020.

jappel@medicinehatnews.com@MHNJeremyAppel

The Medicine Hat Public School Division is monitoring the COVID-19 situation closely and is prepared in the event there’s a local outbreak, according to superintendent Mark Davidson.

At a Thursday press conference, the province’s chief medical officer said schools should continue to remain open, while large public gatherings with at least 250 people ought to be cancelled.

The same day, Ontario’s government announced classes at all the province’s schools will be suspended for two weeks.

Davidson says MHPSD is prepared to temporarily cancel classes if the Alberta government gives them that direction due to the situation deteriorating.

“We could close schools – either individual schools or all of them – on our own, but we’re working closely with government, particularly Alberta Health Services, in order to take direction from them with respect to COVID-19,” he said.

While schools are open, the public board is taking the advice of the medical officer of health and passing that information on to families and staff, said Davidson.

“The advice provided with respect to the cleaning of schools, we follow. We encourage families to follow the advice that the officer has sent out with respect to social distancing if you’re showing symptoms and when to see a healthcare professional,” he said.

Enhanced cleaning procedures have been implemented at MHPSD schools, particularly as they pertain to the frequency of cleaning, types of cleaning solutions used and how often to replace used cloths, Davidson added.

All international trips are cancelled and the board is evaluating which national trips can proceed, he said.

MHPSD is also involved in drafting the City of Medicine Hat’s pandemic plan.

In the event an MHPSD student does test positive for COVID-19, Davidson says administration would ultimately defer to the medical officer.

“It would appear that throughout North America where a student or staff member has been diagnosed with COVID-19, or an employee or regular patron of a facility, that school systems or organizations have closed that facility and limited access to it,” he said. “I suspect that would be our response.”

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