School board ‘expected’ to follow province in lifting mask mandate: Ontario government

Ontario are “expected” to follow the province’s plan to lift mask mandates on March 21, a statement from the education minister’s office says, despite concerns from some boards.Earlier this week, chief medical officer of health Dr.

Kieran Moore announced a plan to lift remaining COVID-19 restrictions in Ontario, including the mask mandate in many public settings and schools after March break.“Of all the provinces to release plans to lift masking requirements in schools, Ontario has one of the most cautious timelines,” a statement from Education Minister Stephen Lecce’s office said Friday.

TDSB requests more time to remove mandatory masking among other COVID measures “School boards in this province are expected to implement this cautious plan, coupled with the ongoing improvement of air ventilation within Ontario classrooms.”The statement said the province is “continuing to invest heavily” to improve air ventilation by deploying 49,000 additional HEPA filters to schools and child-care centres.“Additional ventilation investments, paired with over 7 million rapid tests every month for schools, as well as enhanced funding for cleaning and staffing, underscores our firm commitment to getting students back to more normal classrooms with strong protections in place as we know it is critical to their mental health,” the statement said.

Lecce defends end date for Ontario school mask mandate amid calls for more time “Because of these many layers of protection, the increase in investments, and Ontario’s overall improved situation, all schools in the province are open.”Some have raised concerns, however, about lifting the mask mandate after March break and some boards have sought to keep it in place longer.Trustees at the.