Nakusp Elementary School will be closed until May 17, due to staffing constraints after some cases of COVID-19 among the school community.

Interior Health made the announcement today, May 4, in a letter to families.

鈥淲e are working very closely with Interior Health to ensure members of our school community who are directly impacted have been contact, and that they have the information they need,鈥� reads the letter, which is signed by Silvina Merna, medical health officer and Terry Taylor, superintendent for School District 10.

According to , there were potential exposures at the elementary school on April 22 and 26-30.

Interior Health is asking all members of the school community to self-monitor for symptoms and get tested if they are sick.

Testing services are currently available at the Arrow Lakes Hospital. For more information see

The letter goes on to clarify that this is a functional school closure and has not been declared a COVID-19 school outbreak.

鈥淥nline learning will take place during this closure period with NES teachers reaching out to parents and students in the next few days,鈥� says the letter.

The closure comes just over a week after the community vaccination clinic April 18-24 where everyone 18+ was eligible to get the COVID-19 vaccine.

Interior Health reported that 1,487 people in Nakusp were vaccinated, as of April 28.

According to the BC CDC there were five cases in the Arrow Lakes Local Health Area between April 18 and 24. The area includes New Denver, Silverton, Nakusp and the surrounding area.

A new report on last weeks cases should be available tomorrow (May 5) evening.

Prior to this, the area has been mostly untouched by COVID-19, with only three cases reported between January 2020 and the end of March 2021.

editor@arrowlakesnews.com
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