TORONTO – Ontario says a program offering free rapid COVID-19 tests is for businesses only, after groups of parents across the province used them to organize tests for their school-age children.
A spokeswoman for Health Minister Christine Elliott says the program was designed to protect workers and allow businesses to reopen safely.
She says the agencies in charge of distributing the rapid tests are expected to adhere to the official parameters, as with any government program.
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Parent-Led COVID-19 Rapid Testing Program at Toronto School Sparks Interest in Other Communities
Some groups of parents had started placing requests for rapid tests to run asymptomatic surveillance tests in their schools, but now they say those orders are being canceled.
Ottawa mother Regina Bateson had her group’s order for 1,000 tests canceled, saying it’s frustrating that they can’t protect unvaccinated children.
Ontario’s medical director of health has said that generalized asymptomatic testing in schools is not recommended because it is not considered an effective tool.
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