The province is making COVID-19 changes inside schools.
During an announcement in Toronto on Thursday, Education Minister Stephen Lecce confirmed that there will be more required of school staff who are unvaccinated.
“We’re mandating a stronger testing requirement on unvaccinated staff who will now be required to present three negative tests per week,” explains Lecce. “We strongly encourage those staff members to get vaccinated, but in the meantime we are elevating our vigilance and our expectations on them.”
It was also announced that it will be easier for students in Ontario to get tested for the virus.
“In this expanded program, students will be able to pick up a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) self-collection kit at school,” says Lecce. “They can complete it at home and provide the sample at convenient locations within their community. By enabling students to pick up a PCR self collection kit at school, the program will help address barriers for students who have challenges with quickly obtaining a test at a testing center, or they’re symptomatic, or they have been identified as a close contact of a confirmed COVID-19 case. The take home approach will also provide convenience for parents and for families, and help to potentially identify more cases to keep these schools open and safe.”
The program will have a phased rollout beginning in mid-November.
Under Ontario’s reopening act, the province is eyeing an elimination of health measures including wearing masks by late March 2022.
Lecce did not confirm whether this would be the same in schools, and stressed this will depend entirely on COVID-19 trends.
As of October 28, more than 83 per cent of youth aged 12 to 17 have received a first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine and 77 per cent have received a second dose.
