Nova Scotia Reports One New School-based Case of COVID-19

Nova Scotia is reporting one additional case of COVID-19 identified today, connected to the Northeast Kings Education Centre in Canning, Kings. Co., in Western Zone.

The school has been closed since the first case was announced on Nov. 24. The public health investigation in the coming days will determine whether this case was a close contact of the first confirmed case.

Given the school has been closed, this case is not believed to have been in school while infectious.

To allow for completion of contact tracing and testing, and out of an abundance of caution, Northeast Kings Education Centre will remain closed for the week and students will be supported to learn at home.

As with any positive case, public health will be in touch with any close contacts of this case and advise of next steps. Everyone who is a close contact will be notified, tested and asked to self-isolate for 14 days.

When a member of the school community tests positive for COVID-19, public health works with the school to let families know about the positive case and what happens next. Those decisions – including whether to keep a school open, close a classroom or close the entire school – are made by public health and the Regional Centre for Education/Conseil scolaire acadien provincial based on the level of risk to other members of the school community and the operational capacity to support in-class learning.