NEWS -- A Saskatoon high school is moving to remote learning after three individuals tested positive for COVID-19.

Since Sunday, Saskatoon Public Schools has been notified of three COVID-19 cases at Nutana Collegiate, the division said in a news release.

Two of the cases were identified as variants of concern, the division said.

Starting Friday, students at the school are moving to remote learning, a decision made after consultation with the Saskatchewan Health Authority..

In-person classes are expected to resume on May 10.

On Thursday, the Saskatchewan Teachers' Federation called for all schools in Saskatoon to move to remote learning due to the steady rise in variant cases in the city.

The B.1.1.7 variant, first discovered in the U.K., accounts for nearly all of the cases in Saskatchewan where the strain has been identified.

Health officials say the variant can potentially spread faster than the original coronavirus strain.

A study released earlier in March also showed the B.1.1.7 variant may also result in a higher rate of death.

Five cases of the P.1 variant, first identified in Brazil, were confirmed in the province earlier this week.