COVID-19 cases at two North Vancouver schools may be linked to social gathering

NORTH VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – A social gathering involving students from multiple schools over the weekend may be linked to confirmed cases of COVID-19 at North Vancouver’s Handsworth Secondary and École Argyle Secondary.

A letter from Handsworth to families says, so far, two secondary schools have been impacted by the gathering and several households in the community are now self-isolating.

Handsworth noted three members of its community tested positive for the coronavirus and “were at school while potentially infectious.” However, the school is only potentially linking one of the three cases to the social gathering.

NEW: At least 4 #COVID19 cases at 2 North Van. schools may be linked to a social gathering of students from multiple schools. This is according to letters to families at Handsworth Secondary + Ecole Argyle Secondary. Several households are under self-isolation. More on @NEWS1130.

— Monika Gul (@MonikaGul) February 12, 2021

A letter from Argyle says it too has recently had three members test positive and says all three may be linked to the social gathering.

The school has listed possible exposure dates as Feb. 4, 5, 8, 9, and 10.

Related article: North Vancouver mom says COVID-19 notice should have come sooner from school

Potential exposure dates at Handsworth are Feb. 8 for a pair of classes and Feb. 8, 9, and 10 for another class.

Students and staff in the impacted grades and classes have been notified.

“The current COVID safety protocols within the affected schools were reviewed in the course of contact tracing and are considered to be sufficiently effective in keeping staff and students safe within the schools,” the Handsworth letter reads.

With the Family Day weekend upon us, both schools are urging parents and students to keep to their own households.