All elementary and middle school students in Ontario will be able to pick up a box of rapid COVID-19 tests as they head to winter break, the provincial government said Thursday as it prepares for colder weather that could lead to more school infections. .
The Progressive Conservatives also said that the pilot of a September PCR self-collection kit will now be deployed across the province. Students who are symptomatic or in close contact with a known case of COVID-19 can pick up a kit at school, do the lower nasal swab, and drop the sample at a pharmacy or other location for processing.
The expansion of testing in schools comes as Ontario surpassed 700 new active cases daily for the first time in more than six weeks and 1,200 cases have been reported in schools in the last two weeks.
“This is a victory and a step in the right direction! We now recognize that rapid tests are a crucial tool in this pandemic, ”said advocacy group Ontario Parent Action Network. wrote on Twitter. “Great gratitude and respect to all who have kept up the pressure on this issue !!”
The government said the boards should remind staff, students and families that international travel during the holidays could mean missing school upon return. He also said that school-wide elementary assemblies would be held virtually beginning in January and that classroom groups would be held during lunch and other breaks.
The measures are designed to protect those who cannot yet get vaccinated due to their age. A first approval of the pediatric COVID-19 vaccine by federal health officials is expected imminently.
Green Party leader Mike Schreiner said the measures extended the Ford administration’s “pattern of delays and half measures” in responding to COVID-19 and questioned why rapid tests are not available before and for the rest of the year. school year.
What people are reading
“While it is encouraging news that testing is increasing overall, (Doug) Ford’s turnaround on rapid and take-home tests in schools has caused disruptions for students that could have been prevented,” he said, and noted that more than 500 Ontario schools currently have COVID-19 cases and five are closed due to outbreaks.
Meanwhile, by February, high school students can expect to return to the typical four-subject semesters that were dropped shortly after the pandemic changed education in March 2020.
Both students and staff have complained about the difficulty of teaching and learning fewer subjects per week over longer periods, but the move was met with partial praise from labor representatives.
The expansion of testing in schools comes as Ontario surpassed 700 new active cases daily for the first time in more than six weeks and 1,200 cases have been reported in schools in the last two weeks. #COVID #ONpoli
“Going back to semesters is a positive step in getting back to normal schedules for teachers and students,” said Chris Cowley, president of the Ontario Federation of Teachers. “Another positive step would be to end the hybrid learning model,” he added, referring to teachers being required to teach students in class and online at the same time.
Morgan Sharp / Local Journalism Initiative / Canada National Observer
Reference-www.nationalobserver.com