Ontario unveils plan for COVID-19 outbreaks in schools
- Michael Kras
- 26 Aug 2020
In a public address this afternoon, the Ontario government announced its management plan for schools across the province in the event of potential COVID-19 outbreaks once classes resume this September.
The plan includes actions for multiple scenarios, including some in which only select students will be sent home to self-isolate and others in which entire schools would shut down in the event of an outbreak.
In instances where positive cases are found in schools, that information will be made accessible to parents and guardians as well as the general public; though, names and identities of any infected students will be kept private.
If a lone positive case is found in a student within a specific class or cohort, all students in that class would be sent home to self-isolate under public health recommendations.
However, if evidence points to the possibility of a widespread outbreak in a school, the entire institution could be shut down with all staff and students sent home until it is once again deemed safe to reopen by public health.
Students who are required to self-isolate will not be permitted to return to their school if they exhibit any potential symptoms of COVID-19, but will be allowed to return after their 14-day isolation period if they do not show any symptoms of the virus.
The aspect of this plan that has been raising some eyebrows is the fact that the Ontario government will not be making testing mandatory for those returning students, even though current research on COVID-19 shows that as many as 40 per cent of people infected with the virus may be completely asymptomatic.
In another press briefing earlier today, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made an announcement that more than $2 billion will be allocated to provinces and territories in order to aid in the safe reopening of schools. Ontario is set to receive $763.3 million of this aid.
Read more about Ontario’s plan for management of COVID-19 in schools on the province’s website.
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