Ontario Schools Will Delay Reopening For In-Person Learning Until Later Next Week
New measures will be put in place.
The Ontario government just announced that schools will be returning for in-person learning this January despite the province's rising COVID-19 cases.
Chief Medical Officer Dr. Kieran Moore announced in a press conference on Thursday that the province is delaying the return of students to January 5, instead of the original back to school date of January 3, to give schools time to respond to new public health measures.
The Ontario government says in-person learning is "critical to the positive mental health and academic success of students" and that additional safety measures will be put into place according to a press release.
The Ontario government has updated the COVID-19 screening for students and is asking "students, parents and staff for rigorous screening and monitoring of symptoms" before students go back to school.
Non-fit-tested N95 masks will also be provided for staff in schools and other licensed child care settings as an alternate. A supply of three-ply cloth masks will also be free and available for students starting in January.
Additionally, further ventilation measures will be taken to make schools safer, PCR testing eligibility will continue for symptomatic staff and students, and an estimate of over 2,000 additional staff will be hired, including teachers, mental health workers and custodians.
School boards and child care will also update their COVID-19 requirements in January, and indoor low contact sports and activities will be temporarily permitted starting in January.
The decision of whether or not to continue schooling in person came with a lot of public opinions. Recently hundreds of Ontario doctors signed an open letter addressing Premier Doug Ford, Moore and Minister of Education Stephen Lecce pleading that the Ontario government keep schools open for the wellness of children.
The daily COVID-19 case count in Ontario broke the record for the fifth time in a week on December 30, with cases reaching an all-new high of 13,807, according to the Ontario government.