After the Spring Break, schools will reopen, Ontario Education Minister Lecce told parents on Sunday. On the contrary, they will remain closed, he said after yesterday’s cabinet meeting that decided otherwise, making a sudden backlash. The announcement came in the afternoon during the usual briefing from Queen’s Park: Premier Doug Ford was joined by Minister Stephen Lecce, Health Minister Christine Elliott and Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr David Williams.” No one wants our children in school more than I do, that’s where they need to be but with Covid-19 spreading like wildfire and with these deadly variants taking hold in Toronto, we simply can’t help but be very cautious right now. We must be proactive – said Ford – we are seeing a rapidly deteriorating situation with a record number of Covid cases and hospital admissions threatening to overwhelm our health system”.
The alarm – with the consequent decision to return all the children of the province to remote teaching – started following the increase in Covid-19 infections of the last few days in the province: 3,813 cases reported on Saturday, 4,456 those on Sunday, 4,401 yesterday. These numbers have never been reached before in Ontario.
Moreover, there are also infections in schools: the latest available update shows that there are 217 new infections – 186 students, 30 teachers and one non-teaching member – with whom the total reaches 14,909. There are 1,302 schools where outbreaks are active. Since the end of February, schools in the province have counted between 9 and 11% of all active coronavirus cases in Ontario. “We will do everything we can to ensure everyone is safe. By keeping children at home longer after the Spring Break we will limit the spread of infections, relieve the pressure of our hospitals and have more time to implement our vaccination plan against Covid-19 – added the premier – the data will be evaluated on an ongoing basis and health officials will be consulted to determine when it will be safe to resume learning in presence”.
But if until Sunday Lecce reiterated that schools are safe, that measures are in place to prevent and control the spread of Covid and that without any doubt the children would return to the classrooms next Monday, within twenty-four the music has changed. “It wasn’t a decision we made lightly, as we know how important the school is to Ontario students. Our priority has always been to keep schools open, however the large number of infections in the community can put our Ontario schools and families at risk – said Minister Lecce – while the Ontario plan has kept schools safe, as confirmed by the Chief Medical Officer of Health, today we are taking decisive and preventive action to ensure that students can safely return to learning in presence in our schools”.
Online lessons for all students and vaccination of teachers who provide direct support to students with special educational needs throughout the province and those who are in hotspots starting in Peel and Toronto: this is what will happen in the coming weeks. As long as the children stay at home, it is not known: “It depends on the trend of infections, the number of sick people in hospitals and intensive care, the situation is constantly evolving”, said Ford. All right. What leaves us stunned, however, is the change of register: within a few hours the government switched with its usual nonchalance from “everyone at school” to “everyone at home”.
