With COVID-19 cases rising again, N.B. re-imposes mask mandate in schools and pre-schools
An increasing incidence of COVID-19 in schools and pre-schools in New Brunswick has prompted the province to re-impose a mask mandate starting Tuesday.
“Since Thursday, there have been positive cases in 11 schools and three child care facilities," Education and Early Childhood Development Minister Dominic Cardy said during a news conference in Fredericton on Monday afternoon. "As of (Tuesday), all students in schools in pre-schools must wear masks. This will be in place for two weeks and then reassessed."
On Monday, Dr. Jennifer Russell, the province's chief medical officer of health, said there were 122 new cases of COVID-19 over the weekend.
"We have sad cases, such of the ones we heard this weekend, of unvaccinated parents spreading COVID-19 to their kids," Cardy said. "It's this sort of horror we have to do our best to avoid."
All students and staff will be required to wear masks on school property and on buses, Cardy said Monday afternoon. Students may remove their masks when eating, drinking or engaged in sports or physical education classes.
With "significant increase" in confirmed cases in the Campbellton and Dalhousie communities, including cases in several schools, Cardy said the province will implemented additional safety measures until at least Friday, Sept. 24.
"Students will wear masks throughout the day in both common areas and within the classroom," Cardy said. "Schools will do all they can to reduce the amount of contact between groups of students in different classrooms and schools will not start any interscholastic extracurricular or intramural activities that are not already underway in those schools. Teachers who are fully vaccinated will be able to remove their masks in the classroom for instructional purposes."
These measures will be implemented at:
- Polyvalente Roland-Pépin
- L.E. Reinsborough School
- Le Galion des Appalaches
- Lord Beaverbrook Elementary School
- La Mosaïque du Nord
- Campbellton Middle School
- École communautaire Académie Notre-Dame
- Dalhousie Regional High School
- École aux Quatre Vents
- Sugarloaf Senior High School
School-aged children in daycares will need to wear masks at all times as staff work to reduce contact between groups of children as much as possible. Staff who are fully vaccinated will continue to wear masks in common areas and may remove their masks within their own group of children. Unvaccinated staff must wear masks at all times.
"I know that families are feeling anxious right now, especially those with children under the age of 12 who are not yet eligible to be vaccinated," Cardy said. "But we continue to work with Public Health to adapt our guidelines based on new information and will continue to do so throughout the coming year as needed. That is why we are adding layers of protection to schools and child-care facilities in impacted regions, and the situation will be closely monitored in the coming weeks. We also urge anyone who is eligible to get fully vaccinated and help keep our kids healthy and safe."
Campbellton Mayor Ian Comeau says he's encouraging everyone in his city to wear a mask -- and get the shot -- to protect unvaccinated children and keep schools open.
CONFIRMED CASES IN SCHOOLS AND CHILD-CARE FACILITIES
Public said in a news release that there are positive cases confirmed in schools in zones 1 (Moncton region), 3 (Fredericton region) and 5 (Campbellton region).
"Regarding all cases identified at schools, if you or a family member have been in close contact with a case, you will be notified by Public Health for contact tracing," the news release said. "If you do not hear directly from Public Health, you have not been identified as a close contact."
New Brunswick’s Healthy and Safe Schools guidelines dictate that schools with cases will close or move to online learning for at least one calendar day to support contact tracing, risk assessments and operational responses.
Here's a breakdown of the schools with confirmed positive cases:
- Zone 1 (Moncton region) – A positive case of COVID-19 has been confirmed at each of the following schools: Riverview High School, West Riverview Elementary and Moncton High School.
- Zone 3 (Fredericton region) – A positive case of COVID-19 has been confirmed at École Sainte-Anne in Fredericton and two positive cases have been confirmed at Donald Fraser Memorial in Plaster Rock.
- Zone 5 (Campbellton region) – A positive case of COVID-19 has been confirmed at each of the following schools: Dalhousie Regional High School, Galion des Appalaches in Campbellton and Polyvalente Roland-Pépin in Campbellton. Two positive cases have been confirmed at each of the following schools: Lord Beaverbrook School in Campbellton, Sugarloaf Senior High School in Campbellton, and Campbellton Middle School. Positive cases have also been confirmed at Wee Care Day Care, Wee Care 2 Early Learning Centre and Youth In Action Day Care, all of which are located in Campbellton.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.