In reaction to steep increases in COVID-19 case counts and hospitalizations, the Minister of Education announced on April 12th, that all Ontario schools would be closed to in-person learning. No date was provided for a return.

At a press conference on April 16, Dr. Adalsteinn Brown, co-chair of the province’s COVID-19 Science Advisory Table laid out the pathway for controlling community spread and thus supporting a return to in-person learning. It involves three key actions:

• Provide easy to access paid sick days, so that workers can call in sick without losing pay, thus averting disease spread in workplaces
• “Double down” on vaccinations in highest-risk communities
• Close non-essential businesses and manufacturing

There are other changes that will allow schools to re-open safely – in particular vaccinating all education workers including day care employees – but until community spread is under control, school buildings will remain closed.

source: People for Education