School sporting events and field trips involving locals, Sudbury and Algoma districts halted by Health Unit

Acting on a recommendation from the North Bay Parry Sound District Health Unit, the Near North District School Board is informing its school community members sporting events and field trips involving the Sudbury and Algoma districts will not be permitted, until further notice.

The board notes in a letter to families, Wednesday, the decision has been made due to the increasing numbers of COVID-19 cases in the districts of Sudbury and Algoma and the situations have led to the restriction on travel in and out of areas with very high virus activity.

The Greater Sudbury and Algoma districts have seen dramatic increases in COVID-19 cases in recent weeks.

The Health Unit has "recommended that teams not travel to or from the areas of Sudbury and Algoma. Until further notice, school teams from those districts will not be allowed to participate in tournaments in the [Health Unit's] catchment area, nor will local students be able to travel to games and events in Sudbury or Algoma.

Several regional and provincial secondary school athletics championships are scheduled to be contested in the coming days and weeks.

"It will be the decision of Northern Ontario Secondary Schools Association (NOSSA) and Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations (OFSAA) whether to hold the events without teams from all areas, whether to move the event or to cancel it."

NNDSB adds the "decision, like all others made by the board throughout the pandemic, has been made to protect the health and safety of staff and students."