GATINEAU, QUE. -- A COVID-19 outbreak at a Gatineau school has grown to 49 cases.
In a letter to families dated March 29, Lison Montambeault, principal of École internationale du Village, said 42 students and seven staff members have tested positive since March 18.
"The parents of all affected students have already been contacted," Montambeault wrote in French. "Rest assured that all decisions are taken to protect the health of students, their families and our staff. We remain on the lookout and will keep you posted as the situation develops, as fast as we can."
A spokesperson for the Portages-de-l'Outaouais school board said the Aylmer-sector school is closed through April 7 because of the outbreak. The school has two buildings, the Limoges building on rue Symmes and the St. Paul building on chemin Eardley. Both buildings are closed due to the outbreak. The school has a population 700 students and employs 100 staff, including teachers.
Parent Jeff Corcoran says he believes the school made the right choice.
"We had 22 cases when they closed the school, but it escalated within the week," he tells CTV News Ottawa. "We roll with the punches. I think it's important to have that attitude. The only thing we can control is protecting ourselves and our kids."
The board also says the separate École Saint-Paul in Gatineau is closed through April 2 because of an outbreak. In a letter to families dated March 23, the school said there had been 15 confirmed cases since March 13. Nine students and six staff had tested positive.
The Outaouais region saw 57 newly confirmed COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, according to the Quebec government. There were 413 newly reported cases in the region between March 21 and 27. The local public health unit says there are 455 active COVID-19 cases in its region, 381 of which are in Gatineau.
--With files from CTV News Ottawa's Jackie Perez.
