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Calgary Catholic School District reports nearly 6,000 in isolation

The Calgary Catholic School District told parents it now has nearly 6,000 staff and students isolating across its 118 schools due to COVID-19.

There are 59,000 students in the division. The letter to parents reported “approximately 200 positive cases” as of Nov. 13.

One week ago, the CCSD reported 3,877 staff and students isolating due to 137 positive cases.

Starting on Monday, all extracurricular activities will be halted, and only regularly scheduled credit courses will take place in CCSD school. The letter to parents says this decision will be reevaluated “in a few weeks.”

“It is our hope that this short term sacrifice will help change the curve,” reads the letter signed by chief superintendent Bryan Szumlas.

First Caribbean cruise since March aborts voyage after guest tests positive

SeaDream 1, one of the world’s smallest cruise ships, departed Barbados on Nov. 7 with 53 passengers and 66 crew — the first cruise ship to venture back to sea in an industry docked since March by the global coronavirus outbreak.

But by the fifth day of the cruise, the ship was forced to halt what could have been a ‘watershed moment for the cruise industry’ after a passenger onboard tested positive for COVID-19.

“People are shocked,” Gene Sloan, a passenger on the SeaDream Yacht Club cruise, told the National Post.

Sloan, who had been writing about cruise and travel for the past 20 years, had boarded the ship on Saturday to see what it’s like to go on the first Caribbean cruise since the shutdown in March.