COVID-19 continues to spread in schools, according to the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, with roughly 11,063 cases having been reported since Sept.
7.Out of the 294 schools in the public school system, 291 have been impacted by the virus since Sept. 7. At least 121 have been impacted since Feb.
25.The Department of Education and Early Childhood told Global News on Tuesday that Minister Dominic Cardy, was not available for an interview.In a statement, it said COVID-19 cases in schools reflect what is happening in the community.“We knew that, given the presence of Omicron, the return to in-person learning and the provincewide move to loosen COVID-19 restrictions, there would be more cases impacting the school system,” said Flavio Nienow, a spokesperson for the department.It said it had taken steps to lessen the spread, which were in place while the province was under more restrictive levels of the Winter Action Plan.
It, too, will be lifted on March 14 along with the emergency order.During a briefing on Jan. 24, Dominic Cardy told reporters that about $3 million had been invested in high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters for schools that did not have proper ventilation.Back in September 2021, during initial discussions about HEPA filters, Cardy said there wasn’t enough evidence they would work to lower the risk of COVID-19 transmission in classrooms.