TORONTO – Ontario Premier Ford promised it: the plan for the return to school will be presented at the beginning of next week. After all, the days pass faster and faster, the reopening of the new school year is now five weeks away but there is still not even a shadow of a return plan.
No guidelines, no directives on the use of masks, physical distance, number of students per class and above all no indication on the vaccination obligation for students and school staff. After the refrain that has accompanied us for months – “The Ford government is still preparing its plan to return to school and is willing to make it known within the next few weeks”- today the premier of the province declared that in a few days we will know something more detailed and precise about returning to school. In essence, there are few weeks left and there are no plans on the horizon.
To be left at the mercy of the waves are above all the families of the children who have been asked, for example, to decide quickly – by August 6 if they attend, for example, the Catholic schools of Toronto – whether to send their children to class or whether to opt for distance learning. This is an important decision, also considering the fact that unlike last year there is no transition from one learning method to another once the school year has started.
While it is reiterated that there are no plans to make vaccines mandatory for students and educational workers, Ontario Chief Medical Officer of Health Kieran Moore has anticipated that when it comes to managing an epidemic there will be a “different approach” for vaccinated and unvaccinated students and staff. “”Those who have been vaccinated with two doses for more than 14 days and have been in contact with a high-risk person will be tested: if this proves negative, the student or teacher in question can immediately return to school, so there is a huge advantage in being immunized with two doses – said Moore – if you are not vaccinated and have been in contact with a person at risk you must remain in isolation for ten days and do two tests, oneat the beginning and then another on the seventh day. If the second swab is positive, the quarantine will continue for another 10 days, so potentially you could stay away from school for up to 20 days”.
Meanwhile, with September just around the corner, many doctors are urging the parents of children between the ages of 12 and 17, to have the kids vaccinated in time so that they are completely immunized before returning to school. “Now is the time to get vaccinated – said Dr. Isaac Bogoch, infectious disease specialist – it is time to act so that young people in Ontario can start the school year as safely and normally as possible”.
Despite a significant increase in the supply that has made vaccines widely available, there are still about 300,000 students who have not yet received the first dose.
