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
Widow looking for answers after Quebec man dies in Texas Ironman competition
The widow of a Quebec man who died competing in an Ironman competition is looking for answers.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
World seeing near breakdown of international law amid wars in Gaza and Ukraine, Amnesty says
The world is seeing a near breakdown of international law amid flagrant rule-breaking in Gaza and Ukraine, multiplying armed conflicts, the rise of authoritarianism and huge rights violations in Sudan, Ethiopia and Myanmar, Amnesty International warned Wednesday as it published its annual report.
Photographer alleges he was forced to watch Megan Thee Stallion have sex and was unfairly fired
A photographer who worked for Megan Thee Stallion said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was forced to watch her have sex, was unfairly fired soon after and was abused as her employee.
Amid concerns over 'collateral damage' Trudeau, Freeland defend capital gains tax change
Facing pushback from physicians and businesspeople over the coming increase to the capital gains inclusion rate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his deputy Chrystia Freeland are standing by their plan to target Canada's highest earners.
U.S. Senate passes bill forcing TikTok's parent company to sell or face ban, sends to Biden for signature
The Senate passed legislation Tuesday that would force TikTok's China-based parent company to sell the social media platform under the threat of a ban, a contentious move by U.S. lawmakers that's expected to face legal challenges.
Wildfire southwest of Peace River spurs evacuation order
People living near a wildfire burning about 15 kilometres southwest of Peace River are being told to evacuate their homes.
U.S. Senate overwhelmingly passes aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan with big bipartisan vote
The U.S. Senate has passed US$95 billion in war aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, sending the legislation to President Joe Biden after months of delays and contentious debate over how involved the United States should be in foreign wars.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.