A person with a connection to three Niagara Catholic schools, including one in Grimsby, has tested positive for COVID-19.
The infected person, the Niagara Catholic school board said, was connected to Lady of Fatima Catholic Elementary School in Grimsby, and the Niagara Falls schools Sacred Heart Catholic Elementary School and Father Hennepin Catholic Elementary School.
Meanwhile, the board said the outbreak at St. Michael Catholic High School in Niagara Falls which included seven confirmed cases of COVID-19, has been declared over by Niagara Region Public Health.
NRPH has also advised that a second, confirmed case of COVID-19 reported at St. Charles Catholic Elementary School in Thorold triggered another outbreak declaration by NRPH. However, that too has now ended. NRPH said that there is no risk of transmission to anyone at the school.
Niagara Catholic has also learned that an individual at Father Hennepin Catholic Elementary School in Niagara Falls has tested positive for COVID-19. The person has been in isolation since prior to the Christmas break and it has been determined there was no risk of transmission to the school community. NRPH says it has reached everyone that had contact with the infected person.
Niagara Catholic does not share the identities of COVID-19 cases or identify if they are teachers, staff or students. That information is sometimes published at a later date by the Ontario Ministry of Health, but its disclosure is not timely or consistent.
Community members with questions about COVID-19 can call Niagara Region Public Health’s
COVID-19 Info-Line for assistance from a Public Health Nurse, which is staffed Monday to Friday, 9:15 a.m. – 8:30 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday, 9:15 a.m. – 4:15 p.m. at 905-688-8248 or toll-free at 1-888-505-6074.
COVID-19 in Niagara schools
The DSBN is currently reporting 38 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in 26 of its schools, with 23 closed classrooms and 23 resolved cases.
Niagara Catholic is reporting 52 confirmed cases of COVID-19, with 3 active and 49 resolved, in 21 of its schools. All Niagara Catholic schools are open.
DSBN and Niagar Catholic schools will be closed due to the province-wide lockdown after the winter break ends Jan. 4, 2021. Online learning will be initiated. Elementary schools are expected to return to in-class learning Jan 11. High schools will reopen for in-person learning on Jan. 25.
COVID-19 in West Niagara schools
Detailed data as follows for each school board :
District School Board of Niagara
| School | Location | Cases | Closed Classrooms | School Status | Resolved Cases | Who was infected? | |
| A.N Myer Secondary School | Niagara, Falls | 1 | 1 | Open | 0 | Student | |
| Dalewood French Immersion Public School | St. Catharines | 1 | 0 | Open | 1 | Unknown | |
| Diamond Trail Public School | Welland | 1 | 7 | Open | 0 | Unknown | |
| Eden High School | St. Catharines | 2 | 0 | Open | 2 | 1 student, 1 unidentified | |
| E.I. McCulley Public School | St. Catharines | 1 | 0 | Open | 1 | Unknown | |
| Ferndale Public School | St. Catharines | 1 | 0 | Open | 1 | Unknown | |
| Forestview Public School | Niagara Falls | 3 | 2 | Open | 0 | 3 students | |
| Glynn A Green Public School | Pelham | 1 | 0 | Open | 1 | Child at YMCA daycare | |
| Governor Simcoe | St. Catharines | 1 | 0 | Open | 1 | Unknown | |
| Grimsby Secondary School | Grimsby | 1 | 0 | Open | 1 | Unknown | |
| Lincoln Centennial Public School | St. Catharines | 5 | 0 | Open | 1 | 1 student, 1 staff, 2 unknown | |
| Lockview Public School | St. Catharines | 1 | 1 | Open | 0 | 1 staff | |
| Martha Cullimore Public School | Niagara Falls | 1 | 1 | Open | 0 | 1 student | |
| Nelles Public School | Grimsby | 1 | 1 | Open | 0 | 1 student | |
| Park Public School | Grimsby | 1 | 0 | Open | 1 | Unknown | |
| Port Colborne High School | Port Colborne | 2 | 0 | Open | 2 | 2 staff | |
| Port Weller Public School | St. Catharines | 1 | 0 | Open | 1 | Unknown | |
| Prince Philip French Immersion Public School | Niagara Falls | 2 | 0 | Open | 2 | 1 student, 1 unknown | |
| Quaker Road Public School | Welland | 2 | 2 | Open | 0 | Unknown | |
| Richmond Street Public School | Thorold | 1 | 4 | Open | 0 | 1 staff | |
| Sir Winston Churchill Secondary School | St. Catharines | 1 | 0 | Open | 1 | Unknown | |
| Stevensville Public School | Stevensville (Fort Erie) | 1 | 0 | Open | 1 | Unknown | |
| Valley Way Public School | Niagara Falls | 1 | 0 | Open | 1 | Unknown | |
| Welland Eastdale Secondary School | Welland | 3 | 0 | Open | 3 | Unknown | |
| Westdale Public School | St. Catharines | 1 | 0 | Open | 1 | Unknown | |
| William Hamilton Merritt Public School | St. Catharines | 1 | 0 | Open | 1 | Unknown |
Niagara Catholic School Board
| School | Location | Active Cases | Resolved Cases | Closure Status | Who was infected? |
| Blessed Trinity Catholic Secondary School | Grimsby | 0 | 2 | Open | 1 student, 1 unknown |
| Canadian Martyrs Catholic Elementary School | St. Catharines | 0 | 2 | Open | Unknown |
| Father Hennepin Catholic Elementary School | Niagara Falls | 1 | 0 | Open | |
| Holy Cross Catholic Secondary School | St. Catharines | 0 | 2 | Open | Unknown |
| Lakeshore Catholic High School | Port Colborne | 0 | 1 | Open | Unknown |
| Mary Ward Catholic Elementary School | Niagara Falls | 0 | 1 | Open | Unknown |
| Notre Dame College School | Welland | 0 | 1 | Open | Unknown |
| Our Lady of Fatima Catholic Elementary School | Grimsby | 1 | 1 | Open | Unknown |
| Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic Elementary School | Niagara Falls | 0 | 3 | Open | Unknown |
| St. Alfred Catholic Elementary School | St. Catharines | 0 | 2 | Open | Unknown |
| St. Andrew Catholic Elementary School | Welland | 0 | 1 | Open | Unknown |
| St. Charles Catholic Elementary School | Thorold | 0 | 3 | Open | 1 staff member, 2 unknown |
| St. Elizabeth Catholic Elementary | Wainfleet | 1 | ? | Open | 1 staff member (Ontario govt reporting) |
| St. James Catholic Elementary School | St. Catharines | 0 | 2 | Open | 2 students |
| St. John Continuing Education Centre | St. Catharines | 0 | 1 | Open | 1 student, 1 staff |
| St. Martin Catholic Elementary School | Smithville | 0 | 10 | Open | 4 students, 4 staff, 2 unidentified |
| St. Mary Catholic Elementary School | Niagara Falls | 0 | 2 | Open | Unknown |
| St. Michael Catholic High School | Niagara Falls | 0 | 10 | Open | 3 student, 1 staff, 6 unknown |
| St. Paul Catholic High School | Niagara Falls | 0 | 1 | Open | Unknown |
| St. Theresa Catholic Elementary School | St. Catharines | 0 | 1 | Open | 1 staff members |
| St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Elementary School | Niagara Falls | 0 | 3 | Open | Unknown |
School Board COVID-19 Online Trackers
Both Niagara school boards have online COVID-19 trackers that set out school data that parents can access online.
The District School Board of Niagara launched its tracker page at: https://www.dsbn.org/covid-19-information/covid-19-public-advisory.
It publishes a table of its schools listed alphabetically and tracks the “date of confirmed positive test” along with confirmed cases in each school, closed classrooms, and school closure status.
For example, the first DSBN school to register a COVID-19 case was Eastdale Secondary School in Welland. It shows the latest test date of Sept 18, 2020. It shows three cases and five closed classrooms.
The boards do not report who was infected, or whether the case relates to a student or staff member.
Niagara Catholic District School Board also launched its COVID-19 school tracker page at: https://niagaracatholic.ca/covid-19-advisories/
It specifies in a table the schools, active cases, resolved cases, Closure Status, (open or closed).