COVID-19 exposure reported at another Mid-Island school

VICTORIA -- The Qualicum School District is notifying families of a confirmed case of COVID-19 at a Parksville high school.

School District 69 says one person who has tested positive for COVID-19 attended Ballenas Secondary School on Jan. 22 and Jan. 25.

“Island Health staff have initiated contact tracing to identify individuals needing to self-isolate or self-monitor for COVID-19 symptoms,” said the school district in a release Wednesday.

“All contact tracing is expected to be concluded by the end of day Jan. 27 and all members of the Ballenas Secondary community will have received direct communication from the school,” said SD69.

Anyone who is not contacted by public health teams can continue attending the school as usual, though everyone is still asked to monitor for symptoms of COVID-19 every day.

Six other schools across Vancouver Island are currently on Island Health’s COVID-19 exposure list, including one other school in Parksville.

The full list can be found online here. Each school remains on the list until two weeks after its most recent exposure.