Public exposures and outbreaks

Northern Health updates this list with the notification information of possible exposures to COVID-19 within schools in the NH region. We are providing this information so school staff, students and parents can be assured that Public Health is following up in their community and exposure risks are being mitigated to the best of our ability.

COVID-19 school notification process:

If a student or teacher receives a confirmed positive COVID-19 test result, Public Health follows a rigorous protocol:

• Contact tracing is initiated to determine how the individual was infected and who they were in close contact with.
• We identify and notify close contacts who may be at an increased risk, and advise them to self-isolate and monitor for symptoms for 14 days.
• Only Public Health can determine who is a close contact. Learning groups, friends or other connections may not be determined to be a close contact.
• Public Health staff works closely with the school and school district throughout the case and contact management process to maintain close communication with the school community.

If your child’s school receives a notification of exposure:

A notification does not mean your child has been exposed to COVID-19.

If you do not receive a phone call or letter from Public Health, your child should continue to attend school. You can monitor your child for COVID-19 symptoms daily using the BC COVID-19 Health Assessment Tool.

For more information and resources regarding COVID-19, visit our Coronavirus Information (COVID-19) page or B.C.'s Back to School Plan

If your child’s school has been notified of an exposure, no action is required unless you are contacted by Public Health or are otherwise directed by school officials.

Public Health will contact you directly in case of any school exposure involving your child.

BCCDC has added online resources for parents and students, about safety measures in schools, attending school safely and what happens when there is a case of COVID-19 in schools.

*Individual school exposures will be removed from the list approximately one month after the last exposure date.

BC’s provincial health officer (PHO) has put in place an Expedited Workplace Closure order to allow WorkSafeBC inspectors to support the work of public health and to support businesses when a COVID-19 outbreak occurs at a worksite.

Effective Monday, April 12, workplaces with COVID-19 cases related to workplace transmission may be closed down for a minimum 10-day period, unless there is an overriding public interest in keeping that workplace open. Public Health will determine whether it is more likely than not that transmission has occurred at work.

If the public health investigation determines that transmission of COVID-19 has occurred at a workplace, an order may be issued closing the workplace for 10 days or longer to stop the transmission. In the case of complex workplaces (e.g., large construction sites), the closure may be restricted to those parts of the workplace where transmission has occurred.

The following table lists workplaces that have been closed in the Northern Health region, and the date of their expected reopening.

A public exposure (alert) is issued when public health officials are unable to ensure they can identify and directly contact everybody who may have been exposed to a potentially infectious case of COVID-19 in a public setting where they may have been in close contact. NH will update this public exposures page with information if and when there is a possible exposure to COVID-19 to the public in our region.

The possible exposures listed on this site are believed to be low risk but, out of an abundance of caution, Public Health asks anyone who may have visited any of the locations listed on the specified dates and times to monitor themselves for symptoms.

There is no known risk to anyone who attended any listed locations outside of the specified dates and times. If people remain healthy and do not develop symptoms, there is no need to self-isolate and people can continue with their usual daily activities. If you develop any symptoms of COVID-19, please self isolate and contact the Northern Health Virtual Primary and Community Care Clinic: 1-844-645-7811, or contact your primary care provider. If you have been identified as a COVID-19 case or close contact, please know that NH Public Health will contact you directly and provide further instruction.

*Locations will be removed from the list approximately one month after the last exposure date.

For notifications of public exposures related to flights, work sites, cruises, long-distance bus and train travel, and public events, please visit the B.C. Centre for Disease Control public exposures page.

For more information and resources regarding COVID-19, visit our Coronavirus Information (COVID-19) page.

The following list includes any outbreaks of COVID-19 declared in Northern Health region communities or facilities. (For information on non-COVID-19 outbreaks in NH facilities, please see below). As with public exposures, please remember that if you have been identified as a COVID-19 case or close contact, NH Public Health will contact you directly and provide further instruction.

Outbreaks of non-COVID-19 illnesses/infectious diseases, such as respiratory infections (e.g. influenza), gastrointestinal illnesses (e.g. norovirus), and Clostridium difficile (C.diff), in any hospitals, long-term care facilities, other health facilities within the Northern Health region, or those that are licensed under the Community Care and Assisted Living Act, are included here.

An outbreak occurs when more than two people have the same illness that can be linked back to one source or cause. The medical health officer determines when an outbreak will be declared. For C. difficile, an outbreak is declared when the number of cases increases above what is normally experienced.

Please note that the threshold for declaration of an outbreak is not extremely high (i.e. it takes only a handful of cases of illnesses for us to declare an outbreak), so that we can control and end an outbreak early, before it can affect more people.

If you are intending to visit a facility listed below, please consider postponing your visit until the outbreak is over, in order to help keep you and your loved ones healthy.