(CMR) Preschools in the Cayman Islands are the latest to be impacted by the spread of COVID-19 in the community. It was announced Friday that a pre-school child tested positive for the virus and earlier Sunday evening another announced that they would be shuttering their doors tomorrow after a teacher tested positive.
CMR reached out to the Just for Kids preschool in Prospect to speak with them about being the first known case with the youngest positive case reported during this bad of community transmission. That case is actually connected to a sibling at Prospect Primary School that has previously tested positive. All students in that classroom have since tested negative for COVID-19 and the school will be re-opening Monday morning.
Out of an abundance of caution, the management decided to test all teachers exceeding Public Health's recommendation of only testing the teachers in the child's classroom. All teachers have tested negative and the school underwent professional sanitation and a deep cleaning process. More details will be made available on Monday on what other protocols they have implemented.
Sprogs Garden Playschool off Walker's Road also was dealing with a positive case but this time a staff member has tested positive. Public Health has recommended they close Monday so that they can undertake deep cleaning and implement additional precautions.
Prospect Primary has announced several additional positive cases in years 2, 3 and 5. The exact number has not yet been confirmed.
Cayman Academy off Walkers Road also has confirmed a positive child in year 6JM. In keeping with the current recommendation from Public Health and the Ministry of Health and Wellness along with the Ministry of Education, all parents in that year group have been notified and the new school protocols have been activated.
The protocol advises that all parents, guardians, and students of the specific year group to which the positive case belongs must be advised of the situation.
All students, teachers, and parents of year 6JM must be tested. While awaiting test results from the Public Health officials, learning will occur on Teams until all are given a clean bill of health to return face to face. Cayman Academy’s remote learning via Teams is in effect as of Monday, October 4, 2021, for the entire class of Year 6 JM.
The positive student will be in quarantine for 14 days and must not attend school until given the okay from the Public Health Officials. The respective classroom must be deep cleaned. If no other student tests positive, then classes will resume. The deep cleaning will happen on Monday. If the number of positive cases increases from the testing, according to protocols, all Year 6JM students along with their households must remain in quarantine for 14 days, awaiting re-testing on Day 15.
Triple C school has decided to move to their Plan C for this week closing all secondary classrooms (grades 6-12) and requiring those students and teachers to resort to online teaching for this week. The principal indicated they had a meeting around 4:00 pm with teachers and the decision was made to protect the elementary students who currently have no positive reported cases.
A number of teachers must be out for the 14 days quarantine period and this has impacted their staffing numbers to “unmanageable numbers”. Additionally, more secondary students need to be tested.
Elementary School will resume normal operations tomorrow; however, any parents who believe that their child is at high risk for whatever reason may choose to keep them at home, and they will receive online instruction from the classroom teacher during the regular day.
CMR sources indicate that two more positives came in late Sunday night for Triple C including one positive in year 3 and 4. Testing will be at school for students only. Families may register separately and go get tested at Doctors Hospital if they wish.
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