MONTREAL -- A high school located on Montreal's South Shore has announced it is closing for two weeks due to a COVID-19 outbreak that saw 26 students and seven teachers test positive for the disease.
Instead of heading to class on Monday, students at Gerard-Filion high school in Longueuil have been asked to stay home -- and to stay there until Oct. 13.
The decision was made by regional public health to halt the transmission of COVID-19 at the school.
"A little over a week ago, students in grades 1 and 2 of secondary school and their teachers underwent a screening test which will be extended this week to other students in the school as well as to school staff, who've not yet been screened to give us a full picture of the situation," said Dr. Mathieu Lanthier-Veilleux, medical assistant at the Montérégie Public Health Department.
Students in secondary 1 and 2 will be taught virtually as early as Monday, and the remaining grades at the high school will follow suit on Wednesday.
Public health is asking students to stay home during their two-week quarantine period and to refrain from participating in sports or social events to limit the spread of the disease -- even if they have tested negative.
As of Sept. 24, Quebec has recorded 1,163 cumulative cases of COVID-19 across 489 of its schools.
- See the list of schools HERE
On Sunday, health officials reported 896 new cases of COVID-19 among the Quebec population -- which is the highest daily increase the province has seen since May 6, when 1,036 cases were reported.
