FREDERICTON, N.B. -- Thirteen schools in northwestern New Brunswick were closed Monday in order to allow staff and teachers to get their COVID-19 vaccine.

The locations are the first to be immunized as part of the province’s Return to School plan, announced last week, that will see high school students return fulltime on April 12.

Since September, high school students have been physically attending school every other day to keep the number of students in a classroom low.

In total, 16 clinic locations will be set up this week to vaccinate school staff and teachers. Monday’s clinics were in Edmundston and Centreville.

Staff at 17 more high schools will be immunized on Tuesday at clinics in Hampton, St. Stephen and Miramichi.

Here’s the schedule for the rest of the week:

  • March 24 – Fredericton region
  • March 25 – Saint John region
  • March 26 – Tracadie and Moncton regions
  • March 29 – Shediac, Bathurst, and Campbellton region

The N.B. Teachers Association says they are pleased high school teachers are being made a priority but say this rollout has happened very quickly.

"What was told to us on Friday isn’t what happened over the weekend, so we’ve seen some changes, we’ve been working with the department over the weekend to make sure that teachers are supported as best possible to get these vaccines," said Rick Cuming, NBTA president.

He also questions when elementary, middle and supply teachers will be scheduled to get their first dose.

Education minister Dominic Cardy said it is not mandatory – but he encourages everyone to get the shot.

"That’s the reality is that there may well be some folks to refuse," he said. "What I’d ask folks to do is go look at credible scientific articles, reviews around vaccine safety if anyone has any concerns, and talk to your family physician about it."

Cuming said they haven’t received any data that indicate how many teachers want to be immunized.

The intention is to see 4,500 high school teachers will be immunized by March 27.

Cuming said teachers still have a number of “unanswered” questions about the Return to School plan.

"There’s a number of operational issues that teachers have to deal with," he said. "When masks are going to be worn, and spacing, I know schools have to actually rewrite their operational plans. They’re going to have to consider the logistics of re-setting up their classrooms. In some places the furniture has been put away into storage...we need to make sure teachers have the time to do that."

Case connected to Moncton High

On Sunday, the Anglophone East school district sent a memo to parents of students who attend Moncton High School, informing them of a positive COVID-19 case traced to the school’s community.

The school was closed Monday for an operational response day.

"We understand you may feel anxious over the coming days," states the memo. "Public health officials will contact you if your child has been in close contact with the confirmed case and will tell you if your child needs to self-isolate."

A spokesperson for the school district says if public health can complete contact tracing Monday, the school could reopen on Tuesday to students and staff who have not been instructed to self-isolate.

That decision is expected be made later on Monday.

In Edmundston, École Notre-Dame and Halte Scolaire Krok Soleil have been closed because of possible exposures. The department of health says a child-care facility connected to Halte Scolaire Krok has also closed because of the case. The school and child-care centre will remain closed until March 30.

A positive case was also confirmed at Garderie Mont Ste-Marie, another child-care facility in Edmundston. It will also remain closed until further notice.

Public health is asking that students and staff at these locations get tested, even if they don’t have symptoms.