In an open letter to parents and caregivers, the Medical Officer of Health for Huron and Perth counties is asking we stay the course in fighting COVID-19, to return kids to the classroom.
Dr. Miriam Klassen says decisions to continue e-learning for students is made at the provincial level, and local health officials have not received “any specific information about whether the Ministry of Education wants to see COVID-19 rates below a certain level for in-person learning to resume.”
With COVID-19 rates high in Huron-Perth, Klassen says “the risk of school-related exposures and school–related transmission increases.”
She points to the 43 COVID-19 cases involving staff and students in the two counties confirmed since the Christmas break.
Klassen ends the letter saying “the best thing we can do is continue to follow all public health measures to bring our community rates down, including those outlined in the current state of emergency and stay-at-home order that the Province of Ontario has in place.”
In an update to families, the Avon Maitland District School Board says they have had “some indication that the next potential return date to face to face learning could be Thursday, February 11.”
“However, this has not been confirmed and we have asked the Ministry of Education to provide an update as soon as possible so that families can be better prepared,” the AMDSB says.