Parents urge schools to keep mask mandates in place a little while longer

Parents in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia are raising concern about schools dropping mask mandates at a time when they say COVID-19 case counts remain too high.

A Fredericton mother has filed a complaint against New Brunswick’s Chief Medical Officer of Health Jennifer Russell, saying there’s been no medical proof or data showing the decision to remove masks in schools is safe at this time.

Jessica Bleasdale says the decision to drop mask mandates puts children and families at risk.

“Show me the science that supports removing masks indoors right now, particularly in schools when children’s health medical experts from across the country are all saying this is not the time to remove masks,” says Bleasdale.

In Ontario, a coalition of children’s hospitals, including Sick kids Hospital, is saying masks should remain mandatory in schools to protect children against the virus, but also from spreading to family members at home.

Martha Walls is a parent of an immunocompromised child, who has yet to return to in-class learning, as her daughter was not yet fully vaccinated.

Now that’s her daughter is fully vaccinated, Walls is second guessing if she’ll be able to send her back to school with no masking guidelines in place.

“Looking at the data coming out of the province, it’s clear that we’ve got high rates of positivity and that there is still significant amounts of virus circulating in the community,” said Walls.

On Monday, all COVID-19 restrictions including masking indoors and requiring proof of vaccination will be lifted in New Brunswick, while Nova Scotia will follow suit a week later.

Still, all three major universities in Halifax – Saint Mary’s University, Dalhousie University, and Mount Saint Vincent University – will keep their masking and proof of vaccination policies in place on campus until the end of the semester.

“I think it gives people the confidence that the campus is very concerned about the pandemic and wanting to make sure that everyone feels safe,” said Maxine Brewer, a registered nurse and health services manager at MSVU.

A Narrative Research poll commissioned by the Nova Scotia Teachers Union shows that 71 per cent of respondents support the idea of masks remaining mandatory in schools.

A Narrative Research poll commissioned by the Nova Scotia Teachers Union shows that 71 percent of respondents support the idea of masks remaining mandatory in schools.

But with COVID-19 mandates lifting, NSTU president Paul Wozney says it puts teachers in a challenging spot, as masking is now optional despite recommendations from public health experts that masks continue to be worn indoors.

“Masking becomes a personal choice and one ultimately you have to respect,” said Wozney. “Otherwise, if you are forceful, it’s going to lead to conflict with families, with students, with administration and school leadership.”

We all want the pandemic to be a memory for our kids, not part of their day-to-day. But we’re not quite there yet, and we ask everyone to continue to be thoughtful of those around them and their needs and choices when it comes to masking. #covid19 #onpoli pic.twitter.com/JMKd1hUNBP

— childrenshealthcoalition (@CHCOntario) March 9, 2022