Marius-Barbeau elementary school closed due to COVID-19 outbreak
Marius-Barbeau elementary school closed due to COVID-19 outbreak

A Herongate elementary school is closed on Friday because of an escalating COVID-19 outbreak.
Ottawa Public Health says École élémentaire catholique Marius-Barbeau is closed after evidence of the virus spreading to several different cohorts in the school.
"The whole school has been closed, out of an abundance of caution, as our investigation suggests that there is evidence of spread of COVID-19 to several cohorts in the school," said the health unit in a letter to parents/guardians, students and staff on Thursday.
"OPH will continue to work with the school to monitor the situation to ensure all appropriate outbreak measures are in place."
The school closure is the second one this week, after St. Benedict Elementary was shut down by OPH on Tuesday.
In a statement to CTV News Ottawa on Friday, the Conseil des ecoles catholiques du Centre-Est says the school is closed until Oct. 4, inclusively.
"Ottawa Public Health is currently assessing the situation to determine the exact opening date which could last up to a maximum of 10 days," said the CECCE.
In a letter to the school community, OPH says the duration of closure isn't known, but if cohorts can return earlier than 10 days, staff and families will be notified. OPH will contact parents/guardians directly if a child has been identified as a high-risk contact.
An outbreak at the school was first listed on OPH's dashboard on Sept. 14. According to the OPH dashboard, there are eight student cases and two staff cases at the school on Notting Hill Avenue.
The CECCE is reporting 22 active cases among students and staff at eight schools.
Ottawa Public Health declared an outbreak at St. Benedict Elementary School in Barrhaven, and ordered the school closed earlier this week. Cases were first identified in Kindergarten cohorts. One parent told CTV News Ottawa a positive test result was reported in her child's Grade 4 class.
As of Thursday, OPH reported 15 student cases at St. Benedict Elementary School.
With files from CTV News Ottawa's Josh Pringle
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Several dead in Copenhagen mall shooting; suspect arrested
A gunman opened fired inside a busy shopping mall in the Danish capital on Sunday, killing several people and wounding several others, police said.

'Be prepared for delays at any point': Canada not flying alone in worldwide travel chaos
As Canadian airports deal with their own set of problems amid the busy summer travel season, by no means are they alone.
Alpine glacier chunk detaches, killing at least 6 hikers
A large chunk of Alpine glacier broke loose Sunday afternoon and roared down a mountainside in Italy, sending ice, snow and rock slamming into hikers on a popular trail on the peak and killing at least six and injuring eight, authorities said.
Blue Jays mourn death of first base coach Mark Budzinski's daughter
First base coach Mark Budzinski is taking a leave of absence from the Toronto Blue Jays following the death of his daughter.
Dog left with lost baggage at Toronto Pearson Airport for about 21 hours
A Toronto woman says a dog she rescued from the Dominican Republic has been traumatized after being left in a corner of Toronto Pearson International Airport with baggage for about 21 hours.
'There should have been one': N.S. mother drives son to ER after waiting nearly an hour for ambulance
A Nova Scotia mother says she had to drive her son to hospital herself on Canada Day when no ambulance showed up after more than 40 minutes.
'Cold-adapted' dinosaurs survived mass extinction event to achieve dominance, study finds
A new study has offered what it says is the first physical evidence showing dinosaurs from the Triassic period regularly endured freezing conditions, allowing them to survive and eventually supersede other species on the planet.
Vancouver police service dog named after Calgary police officer
A Vancouver Transit Police service dog has a special connection to the Calgary Police Service.
'Ungrading': How one Ontario teacher is changing her approach to report cards
An Ontario high school teacher plans to continue with an alternative method of grading her students after an experiment last semester in which students proposed a grade and had to justify it with examples of their work.