Active COVID-19 outbreaks are continuing at two Grant County schools and one John Day workplace, according to the Oregon Health Authority.

The information was contained in a weekly report issued Wednesday, Sept. 29.

OHA defines an outbreak as two or more cases of COVID-19 involving students, staff or volunteers that have a shared, combined exposure in a school setting. Outbreaks are considered resolved when there have been no new cases for 28 days.

Humbolt Elementary in Canyon City has 14 cases and Long Creek School has eight, according to the most recent OHA report. 

Officials of those schools could not immediately be reached for comment.

Prairie City School has two cases, one student and one staff member or volunteer, but OHA has not declared an outbreak at the school.

“Those two (cases) aren’t linked together, so we don’t have to open an outbreak,” said Jessica Winegar, clinic manager for the Grant County Health Department.

Winegar also noted that there can be delays in the reporting of COVID cases, which can lead to time lags in the data included in OHA’s weekly outbreak report.

Grant Union High School has one active student case, which is not enough to qualify as an outbreak.

Principal Ryan Gerry said “we have procedures in place” to respond when a student tests positive for the virus.

In addition to having the student quarantine at home, those procedures include providing information about the student’s close contacts to public health officials for contact tracing; informing teachers of the student and the student’s close contacts; and making sure any students who test positive have access to their assignments and the resources they need while they’re quarantining at home.

OHA is also reporting an active COVID-19 outbreak at Malheur Lumber in John Day. The outbreak has six cases.

OHA reports workplace outbreaks involving five or more cases for workplaces with 30 or more employees. If more than half the workers have COVID-19, the agency does not report the outbreak for privacy reasons. Outbreaks are considered resolved when there have been no new cases for 28 days.

Malheur Lumber Co. manager Rich Fulton said he’s hopeful his mill will come off the list soon.

“It’s on the decline,” he said of the outbreak. “We’re doing everything we can and that we are required to do.”