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Eleven schools across city closed by COVID this week

Four more schools in two parts of town have been closed by the Toronto District School Board today for COVID-19 investigations.

This brings the total number of TDSB schools closed in two days up to six. And counting recent Catholic school board closures, we now have 11 schools shut down this week.

At about 4:30 p.m. yesterday, the TDSB advised on social media that students and staff at Thorncliffe Park Public School and Gateway Public School were being dismissed and classes moved to remote learning, as of the next day.

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Four hours later a similar announcement was made for Clinton Street Junior Public School and Ryerson Community School.

The first two closures announced are at schools in the neighbouring communities of Thorncliffe Park and Flemingdon Park, both considered high-risk areas. This is the second closure for Thorncliffe Park PS, as it was shut down in December for similar reasons.

Clinton Street PS is located on Manning Street in the Palmerston neighbourhood, while Ryerson CS, on Denison Avenue, is in the Alexandra Park community, in the same part of downtown’s west end.

The announcements follow the closure of Victoria Village and Brian public schools on March 29, bringing the total to six schools shut down within two days.

All the closures were said to have been undertaken on the advice of Toronto Public Health to give them more time to investigate COVID cases at the schools.

Currently, the TDSB has listed on its COVID-19 Advisories website the number of confirmed cases at these schools as follows:

  • Brian PS — seven students, three staff
  • Clinton Street PS — five students, zero staff
  • Gateway PS — six students, one staff
  • Ryerson — seven students, zero staff
  • Thorncliffe Park PS — seven students, zero staff
  • Victoria Village PS — eight students, one staff

 

Catholic schools shut down

The Toronto Catholic District School Board has also closed five schools in recent days for COVID investigations.

On Tuesday it shut down St. Rose of Lima Catholic School in Scarborough and St. Jude Catholic School in North York.

Earlier in the week, the Catholic school board had closed St. Roch Catholic School in North York, St. Eugene Catholic School in Etobicoke, and St. Dominic Savio Catholic School in Scarborough.

St. Roch and St. Eugene are in the same northwestern Toronto area, hit hard by COVID-19, as St. Jude.

St. Dominic is in the same northeastern Toronto area, also hit hard, as St. Rose.