HALIFAX -- As the dates draw near, parents and students are getting more information about what back to school and university is going to look like come September.
On Thursday, the New Brunswick government laid out more of its plans to keep students and staff safe during the pandemic.
"We will make available testing for COVID-19 to asymptomatic teachers and school staff who are concerned about potential exposure and this will be available on a voluntary basis," said Dr. Jennifer Russell, New Brunswick's chief medical officer of health.
In Nova Scotia, new testing protocols were announced Thursday for all post-secondary campuses.
"Every student coming into Nova Scotia from outside the Atlantic bubble will be required to have three COVID tests during their 14-day isolation period," said Premier Stephen McNeil.
Initially, Acadia University in Wolfville, N.S., wanted the government to take two samples from every student entering into the Atlantic bubble.
"So they're doing more comprehensive testing than we had originally asked for and I think it's because they looked at this in the context of doing it as a research project that will provide really useful information and data," said Peter Ricketts, president of Acadia University.
Said McNeil: "If students are asymptomatic these tests should help us detect COVID."
Meanwhile, the Nova Scotia Teachers Union continues to call for more clarification about the new school year.
"If we talk about substitute teachers, substitute teachers outside of COVID, it's not uncommon for some substitute teachers to work in dozens of school buildings during a school year, let alone one or two," said NSTU president Paul Wozney.
At this point, the NSTU is not calling for a delay to the school year.
"We're going to hear parents and students start to call for a delay to the school year, it won't be just some teachers," Wozney said.
But Halifax school advisory council chair Clare Bilek says there's still too much that is unknown about the fall.
"Children should be back in school on Sept. 8. I would not be in support of a delay," she said.
"But I think a lot of that uncertainty could be addressed through better communication. We'd really like to know, what they are going to do when they do find deficiencies in ventilation? Is any of the $40 million allocated going towards those improvements? Are there going to be air purifiers purchased and how will they be allocated?"
Those questions are still looming with a new school year now just 18 days away.