Coronavirus in New West schools: Queensborough Middle School on list

Update: Richard McBride Elementary School sees third COVID-19 exposure in 2021

Queensborough Middle School students and staff have been asked to self-monitor for COVID-19 symptoms after an exposure at the school on Feb. 23, 24 and 25.

Queensborough Middle School students and staff have been asked to self-monitor for symptoms after a COVID-19 exposure at the school Feb. 23, 24 and 25. Jennifer Gauthier

NOTE: This story was updated March 4 at 4:33 p.m. with new information.

Richard McBride Elementary School has recorded another COVID-19 exposure – this one on March 1.

Families were notified of the exposure March 4. The news comes on the same day that Queensborough Middle School students and staff were asked to self-monitor for COVID-19 symptoms after an exposure at the school on Feb. 23, 24 and 25.

The school was added to the Fraser Health school exposures list today, bringing to six the total of New Westminster schools with current exposure notices. That represents half of the district's 12 schools.

The entire population of the middle school was also issued a notice asking them to self-monitor for symptoms until March 11 (the full two-week period after the final possible exposure day).

The notification is the latest in a string of reported exposures in local schools in February.

Glenbrook Middle School and New Westminster Secondary School had multiple exposures in the month, and two were also reported for Richard McBride Elementary (on Feb. 10 to 12 and Feb. 22-23) . F.W. Howay Elementary School also saw an exposure earlier in the month (Feb. 17 and 18) that was reported yesterday.

At Qayqayt Elementary School, one class was also ordered to self-isolate after an exposure Feb. 22 and 23.

The New Westminster numbers reflect a rising school exposure trend in Fraser Health, the region stretching from Burnaby to Boston Bar.

School districts in the Fraser Health region have also started to see exposures to the more highly transmissible variants of concern. As of this morning, at least 24 schools in the region had seen exposures to variants. New Westminster just saw its first variant exposure: New Westminster Secondary School families were notified March 4 that a previously reported Feb. 19 exposure involved a variant of concern.

The majority of affected schools are in Surrey, but Burnaby has also seen two (at Marlborough Elementary and Burnaby Central Secondary), and others have been seen in Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam, North Delta and Abbotsford.