26 Nova Scotia schools have at least one COVID-19 case
Stacey Rudderham says it's been a frustrating week, as she and other parents throughout the province raised their voices, calling on the province to release information on schools affected by COVID-19 for this school year.
Rudderham says it's information that's important for parents, staff, and the wider community.
"There are substitute teachers that are moving around from school to school that haven't been notified, there are other school specialists that share resources across multiple schools that haven't been notified," she says.
She's part of a volunteer group of concerned parents, Nova Scotia Parents for Public Education, that saw its Facebook membership grow by thousands after it started compiling its own list of COVID-19 notifications at schools.
In the wake of the resulting public pressure, the province began publishing its daily school update Tuesday – a list of schools with at least one COVID-19 exposure in the past 30 days, organized by notification date.
Twenty-six schools are on the list, including schools in the CSAP and Annapolis Valley Regional Centre for Education -- but most of the schools are in the HRCE.
Five schools on the list are now practicing what the province calls "enhanced public health measures," which include:
- closing to non-essential visitors
- limiting extra-curricular activities
- minimizing movement within the school and among classes
- enhanced cleaning evenings and weekends.
But for parent Roxy Webb, the situation is, "still alarming."
Her daughter attends Charles P Allen High School in Bedford and received notification of a COVID-19 exposure at the school this past Sunday. She says the exposure dates included the previous week of school, during which her daughter had attended classes.
Webb says her daughter is fully vaccinated, but the exposure notification is still worrying.
This year, the province's back to school plan doesn't include closing schools for deep cleaning or contact tracing, while schools in other Maritime provinces have done so this fall.
Webb says her child would feel better if Nova Scotia did the same.
"Especially for somebody who does have anxiety and she didn't really want to return to school."
"That two-day approach really created a sense of trust and confidence," says the head of the Nova Scotia Teachers Union, Paul Wozney.
Wozney says bringing that back would help alleviate some of the anxiety. He says because there are many students too young to be vaccinated, keeping certain precautions in place is prudent.
"It just makes sense for us to treat schools as a distinct population and to have a set of protections for them, until such time as we can achieve the kind of vaccination that we can have in the general population," he says.
Since the fourth wave began, 123 of the 673 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the province have been among individuals under 12 years old, according to the province.
That's one reason Stacey Rudderham would like the masking protocol to remain in place. She would also like to see increased asymptomatic testing in the province, to catch more cases.
"I just don't think that we're really in a position to move to Phase Five," she says.
The province is scheduled to provide an update on Nova Scotia's reopening plan at a news conference Wednesday at 3 p.m.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Young people 'tortured' if stolen vehicle operations fail, Montreal police tell MPs
One day after a Montreal police officer fired gunshots at a suspect in a stolen vehicle, senior officers were telling parliamentarians that organized crime groups are recruiting people as young as 15 in the city to steal cars so that they can be shipped overseas.
Mandisa, Grammy award-winning 'American Idol' alum, dead at 47
Soulful gospel artist Mandisa, a Grammy-winning singer who got her start as a contestant on 'American Idol' in 2006, has died, according to a statement on her verified social media. She was 47.
Man sets self on fire outside New York court where Trump trial underway
A man set himself on fire on Friday outside the New York courthouse where Donald Trump's historic hush-money trial was taking place as jury selection wrapped up, but officials said he did not appear to have been targeting Trump.
Sask. father found guilty of withholding daughter to prevent her from getting COVID-19 vaccine
Michael Gordon Jackson, a Saskatchewan man accused of abducting his daughter to prevent her from getting a COVID-19 vaccine, has been found guilty for contravention of a custody order.
She set out to find a husband in a year. Then she matched with a guy on a dating app on the other side of the world
Scottish comedian Samantha Hannah was working on a comedy show about finding a husband when Toby Hunter came into her life. What happened next surprised them both.
Shivering for health: The myths and truths of ice baths explained
In a climate of social media-endorsed wellness rituals, plunging into cold water has promised to aid muscle recovery, enhance mental health and support immune system function. But the evidence of such benefits sits on thin ice, according to researchers.
'It could be catastrophic': Woman says natural supplement contained hidden painkiller drug
A Manitoba woman thought she found a miracle natural supplement, but said a hidden ingredient wreaked havoc on her health.
Manitoba mom praises quick-thinking fire department for freeing daughter stuck in playground equipment
A Manitoba mother is praising firefighters for their quick work in helping her daughter who got stuck at a playground in Lorette, Man.
The Body Shop Canada explores sale as demand outpaces inventory: court filing
The Body Shop Canada is exploring a sale as it struggles to get its hands on enough inventory to keep up with "robust" sales after announcing it would file for creditor protection and close 33 stores.