N.L. schools to reopen Tuesday, officials report two more COVID-19 deaths
Newfoundland and Labrador students in kindergarten to Grade 12 will be heading back to class Tuesday morning, though the province's teachers association says it cannot stand by the decision.
Dr. Janice Fitzgerald, the province's chief medical officer of health, said Thursday the decision to restart in-class learning wasn't made lightly. She said she understood the widespread concern -- the Omicron variant of COVID-19 is still infecting hundreds of people in the province each day.
"We cannot let fear guide our decisions," Fitzgerald told reporters in St. John's. "One of the most important lessons that emerged from this pandemic is how important school is for children. Not just for their academic well-being, but also for their physical and emotional well-being."
But the Newfoundland and Labrador Teachers' Association isn't on board.
"The NLTA cannot support a return to in-person learning on Jan. 25," president Trent Langdon said in a news release after Fitzgerald's announcement. "It is simply too soon given the current COVID-19 situation in the province."
Students have been learning from home since Jan. 4. They'll have to take two rapid tests before returning to school -- one 72 hours before their first day and the other on Tuesday morning, before classes begin, officials said.
Schools distributed kits of five rapid tests per student this week. Officials say the three remaining tests can be used if students begin experiencing COVID-19 symptoms.
Fitzgerald said that parents don't have to report positive results from these tests, but she said the testing regime is required.
"We are asking parents to do the right thing and help us to reduce the risk of COVID spread as students start back to school," she said.
About 75 per cent of kids aged five to 11 have had their first doses of a COVID-19 vaccine, which Fitzgerald said is the highest vaccination rate among children in the country. Kids will have to wear masks at school, and Fitzgerald recommended using masks with three layers, or wearing two masks at once.
Rapid tests will also be provided to daycares, she said.
Fitzgerald reported 360 new confirmed cases Thursday, with 25 per cent of tests completed in the last 24 hours yielding a positive result. Two more people in the province died from COVID-19 since Wednesday, she said.
There were 60 people in hospital with COVID-19 Thursday afternoon, and 20 of them were admitted because of the disease, a spokeswoman for the Health Department said in an email. Five of those 60 patients were in critical care.
The teachers association said it agrees that in-school learning is critical for kids, but it warned that a return to school before it's safe will only result in further interruptions.
Fitzgerald said the province will remain in Alert Level 4, which restricts households to 10 close contacts. The association said it would like to see schools reopen when health officials determine it's safe enough to loosen those restrictions and move to a lower alert level.
"We recognize that schools have been open for in-person learning during Alert Level 4 previously, but that was before the degree and intensity of spread and outbreaks we are experiencing with the Omicron variant," the association's news release said.
Tony Stack, chief executive officer of the province's English school board, said there is plenty of help available from retired teachers, teaching assistants and about 1,100 substitute teachers if large numbers of teachers are forced off work because of the disease.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 20, 2022.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
House admonishes ArriveCan contractor in rare parliamentary show of power
MPs enacted an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power on Wednesday, summonsing an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons where he was admonished publicly and forced to provide answers to the questions MPs said he'd previously evaded.
Leafs star Auston Matthews finishes season with 69 goals
Auston Matthews won't be joining the NHL's 70-goal club this season.
Trump lawyers say Stormy Daniels refused subpoena outside a Brooklyn bar, papers left 'at her feet'
Donald Trump's legal team says it tried serving Stormy Daniels a subpoena as she arrived for an event at a bar in Brooklyn last month, but the porn actor, who is expected to be a witness at the former president's criminal trial, refused to take it and walked away.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
Doug Ford calls on Ontario Speaker to reverse Queen's Park keffiyeh ban
Ontario Premier Doug Ford is calling on Speaker Ted Arnott to reverse a ban on keffiyehs at Queen's Park, describing the move as “needlessly” divisive.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
Woman who pressured boyfriend to kill his ex in 2000s granted absences from prison
A woman who pressured her boyfriend into killing his teenage ex more than a decade ago will be allowed to leave prison for weeks at a time.
Customers disappointed after email listing $60K Tim Hortons prize sent in error
Several Tim Horton’s customers are feeling great disappointment after being told by the company that an email stating they won a boat worth nearly $60,000 was sent in error.