COVID-19 exposure impacts bus routes in Sudbury
It’s only the second week of school and COVID-19 cases are already popping up within the school district, impacting both classrooms and bus routes.
On Tuesday morning, the Sudbury Student Services Consortium put out a notice to its students and parents that four of its routes were cancelled due to exposure.
- Route N513 morning run affecting St. Charles College students
- Route N510 afternoon run affecting St. Charles College students
- Route N458 morning run affecting R.L Beattie Public School students
- Route L812 afternoon run affecting students at R.L Beattie Public School and Algonquin Public School
Officials with the consortium say that more than 100 students were listed on the affected runs.
“I was hoping it was going to wait a little bit, but I was expecting it,” said Rene Boucher with Sudbury Student Services Consortium. “I knew that it was going to come and unfortunately by looking at the numbers that we have on a daily basis, when we do have the 10, 11 cases every day, I was expecting that our children, our students would also be impacted.”
Boucher said this year, positive cases and exposure are being handled a bit differently by the health unit.
“In the past, the letter that we received from public health stated the exact timing. So it actually told us the amount of time that the bus was cancelled, that the particular run was cancelled,” she said.
“This time around, the bus run itself is dismissed immediately. However, the public health unit will continue to do its investigation to determine when each individual will be able to come back. So that’s the same for the drivers and the students on board.”
Automatic callout to parents
She said the consortium does an automatic callout to parents, followed up with an email with more information when a positive case appears on one of the routes. Boucher said it is extremely important for their records to be up to date this year.
“Yesterday when we did that to the four impacted runs, we immediately started receiving emails from parents saying their child does not take the bus," she said.
"So it’s just a little reminder to parents that if your child does not take the bus, you must let us know now because if ever there is a COVID case on the bus, we send the list to public health and public health then needs to contact all of those parents.”
This year, there are extra safety protocols in place to help keep everyone safe when they travel to and from school.
“Students are required to wear a mask and that is from JK to Grade 12,” said Boucher.
“Everyone requires a mask. The school bus driver also wears a mask. There is a sanitizing location at the front of the school bus so if drivers or students forgot to wash their hands at home prior to boarding the bus, they can sanitize their hands at the entrance. There is also seating assignments for students.”
However, she said right now with some parents still deciding whether or not their child will be riding the bus, the seating assignment is changing.
Although the Sudbury Consortium isn’t experiencing a driver shortage, there aren’t a lot of spare drivers, meaning some cancelled routes aren’t immediately rescheduled with a new driver.
“As soon as we have information, we will be sending out a call out to parents to advise them, but in the meantime we ask the parents to bring them to school and to please understand it is out of our control, unfortunately,” Boucher said.
The Sudbury Student Services Consortium updates its Facebook page often with information for parents.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
How quietly promised law changes in the 2024 federal budget could impact your day-to-day life
The 2024 federal budget released last week includes numerous big spending promises that have garnered headlines. But, tucked into the 416-page document are also series of smaller items, such as promising to amend the law regarding infant formula and to force banks to label government rebates, that you may have missed.
Which foods have the most plastics? You may be surprised
'How much plastic will you have for dinner, sir? And you, ma'am?' While that may seem like a line from a satirical skit on Saturday Night Live, research is showing it's much too close to reality.
opinion I've been a criminal attorney for decades. Here's what I think about the case against Trump
Joey Jackson, a criminal defence attorney and a legal analyst for CNN, outlines what he thinks about the criminal case against Donald Trump in the 'hush money trial.'
$3.8M home in B.C.'s Okanagan has steel shell for extra wildfire protection
A home in B.C.'s Okanagan that features a weathering steel shell designed to provide some protection against wildfires has been listed for sale at $3.8 million.
Diver pinned under water by an alligator figured he had choice. Lose his arm or lose his life
An alligator attacked a diver on April 15 as he surfaced from his dive, nearly out of air. His tank emptied with the gator's jaws crushing the arm he put up in defence.
Psychologist becomes first person in Peru to die by euthanasia after fighting in court for years
A Peruvian psychologist who suffered from an incurable disease that weakened her muscles and had her confined to her bed for several years, died by euthanasia, her lawyer said Monday, becoming the first person in the country to obtain the right to die with medical assistance.
Mystery surrounds giant custom Canucks jerseys worn by Lions Gate Bridge statues
The giant stone statues guarding the Lions Gate Bridge have been dressed in custom Vancouver Canucks jerseys as the NHL playoffs get underway.
Celebrity designer sentenced to 18 months in prison for smuggling crocodile handbags
A leading fashion designer whose accessories were used by celebrities from Britney Spears to the cast of the 'Sex and the City' TV series was sentenced Monday to 18 months in prison after pleading guilty in Miami federal court on charges of smuggling crocodile handbags from her native Colombia.
Wildfire leads to evacuation order issued for northeast Alberta community
An evacuation order was issued on Monday afternoon for homes in the area of Cold Lake First Nation.