Hastings and Prince Edward Counties/March 16, 2022 — Hastings Prince Edward Public Health has released a statement regarding the return to learning on March 21, when many COVID-19 public health measures will be lifted across the province, including in schools.
To our school and child care communities:
As of March 21, 2022, the provincial government is lifting many of the remaining public health and workplace safety measures, including in child care/schools. Two of the most significant changes for public health protocols in child care/schools include:
Masks will no longer be universally required for students and staff in child care/schools, or on student transportation.
There will still be instances where individuals are required to wear masks during the school day including:
- upon return from international travel,
- when exposed to a case of COVID-19 in the community or their household (wear a mask and avoid activities where mask removal is necessary such as dining out, high contact sports),
- when taking public transportation (e.g., a city bus) to and from school, and
- when attending school-based immunization clinics.
There will also be instances where staff and children/students may choose to wear masks. This may be due to personal health reasons, or preference. Parents and caregivers are encouraged to speak with their children about the importance of kindness, respect, and tolerance for others – regardless of their choice to wear a mask or not.
Cohorts are no longer required in the child care/school setting and children/youth will be encouraged to interact with one another, including removal of cohorting/zoning at recess, reconfiguring learning spaces to allow students to sit in groupings and/or circles, and encouraging conversation and collaboration, both during class and lunch periods.
We will continue to monitor the trends for COVID-19 in our community. Right now, these indicators remain stable. Even though transmission continues in the community, we are seeing a significant decrease in the severity of COVID-19 cases at the population level. We are now in a different place in the pandemic, thanks to high rates of COVID-19 immunization in the region. We have high levels of vaccination in students aged 12 to 17 years, along with increased uptake of third dose boosters, and rising levels of vaccination in students aged 5 to 11 years of age. Over the past 2 years, younger age groups have continued to be at lower risk for severe disease and clinical symptoms of COVID-19.
Considering all of these factors, additional public health measures in local child care centres and schools are not necessary at this time. We support the efforts of local schools and child care providers to move toward normal conditions. Keeping schools and child care open for in-person learning has been vital to supporting student mental health and well-being, which has remained a top priority. This will be further enhanced by the withdrawal of additional restrictions and return to more normalized classroom and school interactions.
The months ahead will require continued vigilance, to reduce unnecessary disruptions to families’ everyday lives. We must all work together to keep the risk as low as possible and continue to follow the public health measures in place to limit the spread of COVID-19 in childcare and schools, including:
- getting vaccinated, and boosted – if eligible,
- screening for symptoms before attending childcare/school and staying home when sick or if new or worsening symptoms of illness develop,
- self monitoring and isolating with symptoms of COVID-19,
- using Rapid Antigen Tests (RAT),
- continuing with frequent hand hygiene,
- reporting illness related absence to your school administrator, and
- wearing a mask if/when required to do so.
An important reminder if you have travelled over the March Break, or plan to travel in the near future. Under current federal travel requirements, upon return from international travel, for the first 14 days in Canada individuals must:
- wear a mask at all times when in public spaces, including schools,
- maintain a list of all close contacts, and
- monitor for signs and symptoms of COVID-19.
Together with school and child care partners, we look forward to welcoming students back from March break. We know that there may be questions and concerns in response to changes by the province in managing COVID-19, and you can be reassured that we will continue to work with school and child care partners to support a safe and healthy return.
-Hastings Prince Edward Public Health
