NB the government looks for ways to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 in schools

Another 10 COVID-19 cases have been found in schools or daycare centers in New Brunswick, the province confirmed Wednesday.

Six schools in the province had operational days on Wednesday, meaning that all students or specific groups learned from home.

There’s a lot to do to make those decisions, says Anglophone West School District Superintendent David McTimoney.

“For example, are the cases distributed among several different classes? Are there any impacts with extracurricular activities or school teams? Is there an impact on the bus? What is the impact within the community if the children are not in school? ” he said.

McTimoney said they are looking at two schools in particular: Park Street and Gibson Neill. Both elementary schools are closed until Monday and students learn online.

He said the school district will leave it up to the department and public health whether all schools should move online in the new year.

“I anticipate or hope those conversations have probably started and when it’s my turn to speak up, I certainly will,” McTimoney said.

Education Minister Dominic Cardy said they are looking at a series of measures to stop the virus in schools.

“I’m not going to get into them because the last thing I want to do is create more confusion when people are already and understandably confused by two years of regulations that have changed because we have had to face the fact that the disease has changed,” Cardy said. .

According to the province, about 80% of active cases in schools are found in primary schools.

People’s Alliance leader Kris Austin is against the idea of ​​moving all schools online until the new year.

But the liberal education critic said it’s something that should be taken into account if things take a turn for the worse.

“We want to make sure that children continue to learn, but at the same time we want them to be safe. So it’s surprising that balance between all of that, and all options must be on the table, ”said Benoit Bourque.

Cardy said $ 8.8 million has been set aside in the capital budget to work on ventilation systems in schools this coming year.