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Parents with children in kindergarten to Grade 3 in School District 43 will have to send their children to school wearing masks — starting Monday.
Today (Friday), Dr. Bonnie Henry made the announcement alongside Education Minister Jennifer Whiteside.
Her latest order comes as three large school districts had put in place their own mask mandate for the younger grades: Vancouver, Surrey and Burnaby (but not School District 43) approved masks for the younger grades; up until now, masks were only required for students in grades 4 to 12.
As of Oct. 4, all children in kindergarten to Grade 3 will be required to wear them indoors including at their desks and on school buses. “It's one more layer to ensure we can engage and support children through this pandemic," Henry said at a press conference on Oct. 1.
Henry said the decision was made after studying school data. She said some youngsters may find day-long mask wearing uncomfortable at first, but she praised children for being “resilient and adaptable.”
The order will come as a relief to some parents, as COVID-19 cases were starting to mount in schools in School District 43; six were recently on the Fraser Health school exposure website.
Marvin Klassen, president of the District Parent Advisory Council, acknowledged that protocols will change as new information comes to light and he encouraged parents to follow through with the order.
“DPAC43 follows the guidance and direction of the Public Health Office and encourages all parents to do the same, with an understanding that the orders will change to meet the needs and concerns of the community as the knowledge of the virus and its variants evolve,” he said in an email.
SCHOOL EXPOSURE NOTICES SLOW
Earlier this week, a Coquitlam parent had called for a mask mandate for younger grades after she received a notice about school exposure at Lord Baden-Powell Elementary in Coquitlam.
Parent Doreen Yeo had also complained about delays in getting the letter because she received it 10 days after the Sept. 15 to 17 exposure dates.
In addition to instituting the mask requirement, which will be in place until at least January, Henry addressed concerns the exposure notices weren’t being sent to parents fast enough.
Henry said school-aged children are prioritized when COVID-19 cases are confirmed, and officials usually know as soon as parents do about a test positive case because labs text or email parents right away.
However, it can take up to 24 hours for letters to go out to parents in classes where an exposure might have taken place because of the time it takes contact tracers to get all the details. In some cases, it can take up to two or three days in regions with high numbers of COVID-19 cases.
She encouraged parents to share information with potential classmates or playmates if their children have tested positive. “I think that’s good,” Henry said. “We all need support each other.”
She reminded parents to keep children home if they are sick and encouraged everyone to get vaccinated to protect youngsters who have not been permitted to get the jab.
Henry reiterated that she hopes Health Canada approval would be granted soon for children under the age of 12 and said Canadian health authorities are currently going over the data. If OK'd, children would get a smaller dose —10 micrograms of the antigen — than the amount given to adolescents and adults.
Meanwhile, Henry announced that labs will be increasing their surveillance on COVID-19 tests to determine the amount of cold and flu. She also suggested parents get flu shots for their children.
As for rapid tests being made available to parents and others needing to confirm COVID-19, Henry said there were only two approved for Canada and they weren’t yet widely available.
NOT FOR TEACHERS, SCHOOL STAFF
Mandatory vaccination will not be required for teachers and other school staff.
Henry said at this point she is focusing on “high risk” areas for mandatory shots, such as health care settings and group accommodation like industrial camps and prisons.
Still, B.C. health officials have announced that COVID-19 vaccination will be mandatory for anyone who works in a health care facility across the province — by Oct. 26.
That includes everyone who works in these settings like students, physicians, residents, contractors, volunteers and all other health care professionals. It also applies to people who work in home and community care locations, including client homes.
Health officials had previously announced a vaccine mandate for workers in long-term care homes. Workers who are not vaccinated in any long-term care or health care facility will be placed on unpaid leave.
