EAST CENTRAL — As the threat of COVID-19, the novel coronavirus, spreads, the Horizon School Division is taking its cues for the provincial government.
“There's a lot of information that the ministry [of education] has been sending out to us,” said Kevin Garinger, the division’s director of education.
The common symptoms of the virus are fever and respiratory symptoms such as cough, shortness of breath, or breathing difficulties. Based on the latest information, the time from exposure to developing symptoms can take up to 14 days.
There is no vaccine, but one can protect themself by washing their hands with soap and water, coughing and sneezing into the bend of one’s elbow, avoiding unnecessary travel to affected areas and avoiding close contact with people who are sick.
“When people know more, they can do more and they can protect themselves in a better way,” Garinger said. “That’s what we would aim to do, is provide as much information as we possibly can around how to deal with the virus.”
The division does have a policy focused on the control of communicable diseases. The guidelines in the policy include the idea that education is key to controlling the disease, that principals can exclude a student with a communicable disease after consultation with public health officials and that the right to privacy and confidentiality will be respected.
There is also a pandemic influenza plan dating from 2009 that has six phases depending on how widespread disease is. In the early stages, the aim is to minimize the risk of transmission to employees and students. In the later stages, the division would activate a plan that aims to keep the education system in the face of sick students and teachers, as well as in the face of restrictions put in place by the Saskatchewan Health Authority.
