'Most responsible course of action': Pediatricians call on N.B. to bring back masks in schools

A group of 19 New Brunswick pediatricians and neonatologists has penned an open letter calling on the province to bring back continuous mask use among students indoors for the rest of the school year.

The letter outlines the contrast of New Brunswick’s decisions to that of neighbouring provinces, including Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland, where masks are still required in schools.

"COVID-19 is an airborne virus. Masking and vaccination are well-proven to be effective in decreasing transmission and severity of infection," said the group in the letter.

"Given the importance of school for child development and well-being, we strongly recommend returning to continuous mask use indoors for the rest of the academic year, so that students and staff can remain healthy and attend."

The group is also recommending that masks be required indoors for child-care staff in preschools too, especially since preschool-aged children are not eligible for vaccination.

"In addition to protecting children, many healthcare and education workers are parents, and this will help moderate the number of workers off due to infection or exposure," the letter states.

"We do not believe we are out of the woods yet with the COVID-19 pandemic."

The doctors note that cases and hospitalizations remain high in New Brunswick, and ongoing staff shortages in health-care and education settings are causing "significant disruption in services."

One of the pediatricians told CTV Atlantic he’s seeing "way more cases in the past three weeks" at emergency rooms and his clinic.

"For the most part, not life-threatening, but bad enough to keep kids out of school and/or seek medical attention," said Dr. Mike Dickinson, who is also a past-president of the Canadian Paediatric Society.

The New Brunswick Medical Society also supports the reinstatement of masks in schools.

"COVID-19 is still very much present in the province, and with low vaccination rates in the 5-11 age group and children under five still not eligible to receive the vaccine, this is a simple measure that can help ensure children are able to remain healthy and attend classes," said president Dr. Mark MacMillan.

Last week, New Brunswick reported 13 deaths, 142 people in hospital with COVID-19, and close to 5,000 active cases in the province's weekly update.

As of March 29, 633 health-care workers were off work due to COVID-19.

"Students are used to wearing masks, and there is no clear evidence they cause meaningful harm," said the group in the letter.

"Reinstating mask mandates in school and childcare settings is not only the most responsible course of action, it is also consistent with measures in the other three Atlantic provinces."

CARDY NOT MAKING A MOVE

Education Minister Dominic Cardy told reporters Monday he won’t choose between experts.

"I am not going to overturn a recommendation from the experts inside government because then – what folks who would want to see me do that are doing, they’re saying, ‘OK Cardy, you’re not an expert, but we’re going to ask you to pick between two groups of expert opinions.’ I’m not going to do that," he said.

While he said he believes in masks generally, he wouldn’t say if he personally supports the return of a mask mandate in schools.

"I’m waiting for recommendations from public health, if they’re going to bring any new ones, because they haven’t and we haven’t heard from them in some time," he said.

For its part, New Brunswick public health reiterated Monday that it recommended the removal of the mandatory order, including mandatory restrictions.

"This does not mean COVID is no longer with us and Public Health continues to encourage mask use based on personal risk assessment," Department of Health spokesperson Bruce Macfarlane said in a statement.

"The Department of Early Education and Childhood Development and Public Health are in regular communication about how cases are impacting schools. These conversations take place between schools and regional Public Health offices, but also between the departments of education and health."

The New Brunswick Teachers’ Association says, anecdotally, there’s a large number of teachers off work because of the virus. The association is waiting for data from the Department of Education. Cardy says that is being collected and he will be providing it to the public in the coming days.