Last night we told you about the COVID-19 outbreak at the Princess Casino in Belize City. It's an outbreak for which contact tracing is still ongoing, and, today, those traces yielded shocking results when links with positive cases at Queen's Square Anglican School and Wesley Primary School in Belize City were confirmed.
It all started yesterday a 12-year-old student tested positive for COVID-19 at Wesley Upper school.
But it continued today with a teacher at Queen Square Primary as well as three students, ages 10, eight and seven at Wesley Lower.
These students are all close contacts of persons linked to the Princess Casino outbreak.
That caused exposure for Standard 1, Standard 2, and Standard 3 classrooms as well as a school-wide panic pickup that left Wesley lower like a ghost-town.
It's just down the street from our studio, and Cherisse Halsall was at the Albert street school many times today. She spoke with concerned parents and faculty to find the truth in this latest COVID frenzy.
It was school's out this morning at Wesley lower when news hit social media that the school had been exposed to Covid cases contact traced from the outbreak at Princess Casino.
It's just the scenario that many parents feared and one man met at the gates while performing his routine drop-off.
James Ayala, Parent, Wesley Lower
"When reaching upon the gate the warden came up to me and said you don't know? And I was like, know what? That the school has covid and I was like no I didn't know and she was like well it's all over social media and then and there like you, I couldn't do anything because my son had already passed in and you know, so I just waited and texted my girl and you know she had the connections and all of that so I just forwarded that information to her and you know we were close in contact you know with what would be our next move basically and we just waited it out but yeah it was shocking I won't lie to you I didn't expect it to be so close but at the same time, it was expected because it's covid."
Cherisse Halsall:
"Did you hear other parents voicing concerns at the moment, maybe pulling their kids out right then and there?"
James Ayala, Parent, Wesley Lower
"When the warden was talking to me I saw a bunch of kids there with their parents, not at the gate but you know through the streets going home."
"I'm super concerned, I'm thinking hard now to send my child back but I think it's just a discussion now between me and his mom to see what will be our decision in terms of sending my child back to school, either that or we'll continue to do the packaging cause I don't feel my kid is safe."
Later on, we met a grandfather who did his lunchtime pickup a bit early figuring that the school would be releasing the kids. But he didn't seem too flustered
Cherisse Halsall:
"What's your level of concern about exposure?"
Mr. Moody, Grandfather, Wesley Lower
"I'm kind of in-between 50/50 because it might not be too serious, as people, as they hear a little something they take it out of context, so you know I'll take it 50/50 and let's see what happens from there. You can't just get excited and just, you know because that won't help."
And by this afternoon there was another twist to the story when the news broke that yet another class, this time Standard 2 had likely been exposed.
Pamela Baird, Vice Principal, Wesley lowe school
"This afternoon we found out that at Standard 2 there was another relative to that parent that had tested positive in the beginning and so tomorrow that entire class along with the teacher will be tested as well."
Cherisse Halsall:
"What would you say to parents now after this entire fiasco has happened where these young kids have to get that swab all the way up their nose. What would you say to parents who may be positive about keeping their children at home?"
Pamela Baird, Vice Principal, Wesley lowe school
"Well, we really want to appeal to the parents that if you know or if you even have a suspicion kindly keep the children at home. Don't send them here so that they can come and you know spread the virus around. If you know that that is the case then we're appealing to you to please, please keep these children at home because they are putting everybody at risk when they come on the compound, as well as the staff. Everybody is at risk when they come."
Cherisse Halsall:
"Are there plans to open ahead of September?"
Pamela Baird, Vice Principal, Wesley lowe school
"Well, actually the entire school is not shut down. It's only the classes that have been affected so far, these classes have been shut, the teachers will be away for the four day period and the classes will be fully sanitized as well here at Wesley lower school our teachers go beyond the call of duty to try and maintain health and safety."
And while Vice-Principal Baird is optimistic she also noted that closure could be on the horizon.
Pamela Baird, Vice Principal, Wesley lowe school
"The first thing we would do if we saw something wrong, we would make that move to close down so we want to make that appeal and we want to assure parents, we want to reassure you of the safety of your children here and that we're doing everything in our power to maintain health and safety."
The seven-year-old student who tested positive is exhibiting mild symptoms while the other children are asymptomatic.
All students remain in isolation. The teachers and schoolmates of these children have all been tested apart from the seven-year-old whose classmates will be tested tomorrow.
There is also heightened surveillance ongoing throughout the country with emphasis placed on anyone who has frequented the Princess Casino.
