Our focus remains on keeping everyone in schools safe. If you are told to self-isolate by someone from provincial health, fill out a WorkSafeBC form.

WorkSafeBC information for workers can be found here.

All districts have safety plans but it’s crucial that every school also has a site committee. Contact your local if you don’t have a site committee at your workplace.

Wishing everyone a safe and happy Thanksgiving!

In solidarity and safety,

Warren Williams
K-12 Presidents Council President

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K-12 Update from Dr. Bonnie Henry

“Our public health teams have been there and done contact tracing and response for every single case that has been identified in any school…We are able to manage and determine every single exposure event: whether there has been transmission in the school setting; who has been close contacts; and making sure that those people have been isolated so that we break those chains of transmission.”
— PHO Dr. Bonnie Henry

SCHOOL EXPOSURE: when a single person confirmed positive for COVID-19 has been in the school during their infectious period.  Even if you have been in a school setting with someone who has COVID, you may not be a close contact. You may not be at risk of exposure yourself. Anybody who did have contact where the virus could have been transmitted, will be contacted by public health.

(Note: a cluster occurs when there is a concentration of infections in the same area at the same time.)

CONTACT TRACERS: Every time there is an exposure, contact tracers kick into gear. They know what type of contact puts somebody at risk of COVID-19 exposure. If somebody has been unfortunately exposed to a large enough dose of the virus, there’s nothing that can be done to prevent them from getting sick.

SELF MONITORING: If people don’t have close contact, we ask them to monitor – to do the things that we have in place in all schools – to monitor closely, stay away if we’re sick, to keep those distances when appropriate, and to wear masks when appropriate.

OUTBREAK: when we have ongoing transmission and we’re not clear who has been transmitting to who and there’s widespread transmission in the school or between learning groups or groups. We have not yet had any outbreaks in our schools.

Watch Dr. Bonnie’s update on October 1, beginning at 2:17.

You can watch the October 5 update here, starting at 5:53.

Chart: Most Students with Symptoms do not have COVID-19

More information on the flu and COVID-19 is available online at the Centre for Disease Control (cdc.gov) and the BC Centre for Disease Control (bccdc.ca).

Links are also on our website at bcschools.cupe.ca. Please check the site regularly for updates and more information.

In solidarity and safety,

Warren Williams
President, K-12 Presidents Council, Local 9876

View PDF.

Influenza (Flu) and COVID-19 are both contagious respiratory illnesses, but they are caused by different viruses.  Flu and COVID-19 share many characteristics, but there are some key differences between the two.

Signs & Symptoms

Similarities: Both COVID-19 and flu can have varying degrees of signs and symptoms, ranging from no symptoms (asymptomatic) to severe symptoms. Common symptoms that COVID-19 and flu share include:

• Fever or feeling feverish/chills
• Cough
• Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
• Fatigue (tiredness)
• Sore throat
• Runny or stuffy nose
• Muscle pain or body aches
• Headache
• Some people may have vomiting and diarrhea

Differences: Flu viruses can cause mild to severe illness, including common signs and symptoms listed above. COVID-19, different from flu, may include change in or loss of taste or smell.

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How long symptoms appear after exposure and infection

Similarities: For both COVID-19 and flu, 1 or more days can pass between a person becoming infected and when he or she starts to experience illness symptoms.

Differences: If a person has COVID-19, it could take them longer to develop symptoms than if they had flu. Typically, a person develops flu symptoms anywhere from 1 to 4 days after infection. For COVID-19 typically a person develops symptoms 5 days after being infected, but symptoms can appear as early as 2 days after infection or as late as 14 days after infection, and the time range can vary.

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How long can someone spread each virus

Similarities: For both COVID-19 and flu, it’s possible to spread the virus for at least 1 day before experiencing any symptoms.

Differences: If a person has COVID-19, they may be contagious for a longer period of time than if they had flu. Most people with flu are contagious for about 1 day before they show symptoms. How long someone can spread the virus that causes COVID-19 is still under investigation.

It’s possible for people to spread the virus for about 2 days before experiencing signs or symptoms and remain contagious for at least 10 days after signs or symptoms first appeared. If someone is asymptomatic or their symptoms go away, it’s possible to remain contagious for at least 10 days after testing positive for COVID-19.

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How they spread

Similarities: Both COVID-19 and flu can spread from person-to-person, between people who are in close contact with one another (within about 2 meters). Both are spread mainly by droplets made when people with the illness (COVID-19 or flu) cough, sneeze, or talk.

Differences: While COVID-19 and flu viruses are thought to spread in similar ways, COVID-19 is more contagious among certain populations and age groups than flu. Also, COVID-19 has been observed to have more superspreading events than flu. This means the virus that causes COVID-19 can quickly and easily spread to a lot of people and result in continuous spreading among people as time progresses.

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Complications

Similarities: Both COVID-19 and flu can result in complications, including:

• Pneumonia
• Respiratory failure
• Acute respiratory distress syndrome (i.e. fluid in lungs)
• Sepsis
• Cardiac injury (e.g. heart attacks and stroke)
• Multiple-organ failure
• Worsening of chronic medical conditions
• Inflammation of the heart, brain or muscle tissues
• Secondary bacterial infections

Differences: Most people who get flu will recover in a few days to less than two weeks, but some people will develop complications. Additional complications associated with COVID-19 can include: Blood clots in the veins and arteries of the lungs, heart, legs or brain.

Source: Centre for Disease Control

Contact tracing is a vital tool in limiting the spread of COVID-19 in our schools and communities. It helps people get diagnosed earlier and reduces the chances they’ll spread it to others. The BC
Centre for Disease Control and Provincial Health Services Authority have set out the step-by-step process being used for contact tracing across the province. For more information on contact tracing – including an accessible video and infographic explaining the process – visit bccdc.ca, and links are posted on bcschools.cupe.ca.

In solidarity and safety,

Warren Williams
President, K-12 Presidents Council, Local 9876

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

View PDF.

It is important to take appropriate action if students or staff become sick at school. The flowchart below shows what you should do in these situations. More comprehensive guidance is also available in the Work Safe BC K-12 protocols, available online at worksafebc.com, and linked on our website at bcschools.cupe.ca. Please check our site regularly for more information and updates.

In solidarity and safety,

Warren Williams
President, K-12 Presidents Council, Local 9876

View PDF.

Source: Centre for Disease Control, September 1, 2020.

As a young girl, Phyllis Jack Webstad was gifted a new orange shirt by her grandmother before she was taken to a B.C. residential school. On her first day of classes, the shirt was confiscated and destroyed by a teacher.

Phyllis’ story has come to symbolize the trauma and abuse suffered by thousands of Survivors of the church-run government mandated residential schools. Generations of Survivors have similar stories of being torn from family, community, language and culture.

Inspired by Phyllis’ story, people now wear Orange Shirts on annually on September 30^th. It is the time of year when Indigenous children were taken from their homes to residential schools. Today, it is a time for us all to set the stage for the coming school year to address anti-Indigenous racism and the ongoing legacy of colonialism in BC and across Canada.

Wearing an orange shirt is our way to honour those who survived residential schools and remember those that didn’t. It’s an opportunity to listen, keep discussions on all aspects of residential schools open, learn and understand.

I hope you will join CUPE members across Canada in wearing an orange shirt on September 30^th and take some time to reflect on responsibilities to fostering reconciliation in our schools, our communities and in our union.

In solidarity & safety,

Warren Williams
President, K-12 Presidents Council, Local 9876

 

Orange Shirt Day Resources

Learn more about Orange Shirt Day, listings for events in your area, and more about Phyllis Jack Webstad’s story at orangeshirtday.org.

CUPE’s Walking the Talk: a practical guide to reconciliation for CUPE locals is available online at cupe.ca. This guide provides CUPE locals and members with key resources to better acknowledge and include Indigenous members in our union, and to help locals and members take concrete action towards reconciliation with Indigenous peoples.

The National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation (nctr.ca) the permanent home for all statements, documents, and other materials gathered by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. It has an extensive collection of education resources on the legacy of residential schools. The NCTR is also hosting Every Child Matters, an online event for youth grades 5-12 on September 30, 2020.

View PDF.