Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit (SMDHU) has closed Spruce Glen Public School to students due to an ongoing outbreak of COVID-19.
Students will engage in online learning until the school reopens.
The outbreak was declared on Nov. 22 and has resulted in 21 cases. As of today, there are 14 active student cases and one active staff case.
Spruce Glen was the second school outbreak declared in the Huntsville area this month. Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit declared an outbreak at VK Greer in Port Sydney on Nov. 9, which has resulted in 13 cases. Although the health unit has not yet declared that outbreak over, Trillium Lakelands District School Board (TLDSB) does not list any active cases at the school.
Two cases are required at a school before an outbreak is declared. Three other Huntsville schools have active cases as of today, according to TLDSB:
- Huntsville High School, one student case
- Pine Glen, one student case
- Riverside, two student cases (SMDHU has not yet declared this an outbreak)
Huntsville currently leads the way with active COVID-19 cases in Muskoka at 43 (including two in hospital). There are 60 active cases in Muskoka as a whole.
Since September, children under the age of 12 have had the highest rate of new cases in Simcoe Muskoka.
Children aged 5-11 only became eligible for COVID-19 vaccines on Nov. 23. To date, 11 per cent of 5-11 year-olds in Muskoka have received one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. After one week of eligibility for this age group, Huntsville and Lake of Bays lag behind the rest of Muskoka at five per cent each. Muskoka Lakes, Bracebridge, and Gravenhurst are at 21, 16 and 12 per cent respectively.
Overall, 84.5 per cent of Muskoka residents over the age of 12 have received one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine; 82.5 per cent have received two doses.
See more local COVID-19 stats here.
Correction Dec. 1: An earlier version of this story indicated that TLDSB made the decision to close the school. That decision was made by the school board.
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