“Time is running out.” Using these words, Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer of Health Kieran Moore has tried to get out of the hibernation in which it fell, the government that must ensure a safe reopening of schools in September. September seems far away, indeed far away, but eight weeks quickly pass while a plan to be implemented to kick-start the new school year is not mentioned. Everything is silent. Not a mention of protocols on safety, infection tracking, ventilation systems, how classes will be organized with in-presence students and others – presumably – online. And the logistics list can go on. Not to forget the vaccination node to which Dr Moore referred in particular in his speech. “Time is pressing, and vaccination rates for students and teachers will be the needle in reopening and ensuring that schools can function “as close as possible to pre-pandemic normality”.
Currently in Ontario, more than 78% of adult residents have received at least one dose of the Covid-19 vaccine, but that number is only 58.6% among 12 to 17 year-old and 66.5% among individuals in the 18-29 age group. “When taking into account the interval required for the two doses of vaccine and the time it takes to develop immunity, time is short – said the Chief Medical Officer of Health – we want our young people to be able to enjoy social activities again in schools, colleges and universities. We want them to enjoy their sports, music, theatre and social events. But for this to happen safely, we need a very high level of immunization.”
Schools in the GTA were closed for in-person learning for the first six weeks of 2021. They then reopened in mid-February, but were closed again in April with the increase in Covid-19 cases.
Education Minister Stephen Lecce said he expected in-person classes to resume in the fall “along with many extracurricular activities” that were cancelled last school year. The government, however, has not yet drawn up a plan for the autumn, so it is unclear what it might be like and whether, for example, the boys will continue to be divided into groups. “We need to start the fall with the highest immunization rate possible,” Moore said.
Interviewed by CTV, Dr Charles Gardner, president of the Council of Medical Officers of Health, said that “ideally” 80% of students should be fully vaccinated. The squealing to push on the accelerator to vaccinate as many kids as possible was done by Dr. Moore but this – although of great importance – is one of the aspects that facilitates a safe return to the classrooms of schools in the province as safely as possible. Classrooms that in the year just ended remained sadly closed.
