B.C. teachers are raising the alarm about the Delta variant hitting children under 12 who are not vaccinated and calling for stronger COVID-19 protections when school resumes Sept. 7.
“We are hearing from more concerned families than ever before in this pandemic. They’re worried that their children who are too young to be vaccinated might be going back to school without enough protections in place,” said BC Teachers' Federation (BCTF) President Teri Mooring in a news release.
“Things are most definitely not normal right now, so we can’t carry on as if they were,” she further added.
Mooring said the province needs to get in front of the problem, and make plans to ensure staff and students are protected — including a province-wide mask mandate for staff and students to start the school year, ventilation improvements and cleaning of all high-touch surfaces during the school day.
The BCTF recommends taking a regional approach to stamp out the virus in schools — adjusting safety measures as needed and making decisions based on timely, transparent regional data.
TRI-CITY CASES NEARLY DOUBLE IN ONE WEEK
Mooring also wants local stakeholders from the education and public health sectors to be involved in the decision-making.
Her call for more measures comes as COVID-19 infections in the Tri-Cities have nearly doubled in two weeks — from 45 during the week ending Aug. 7 to 86 for the week ending Aug. 14.
Many schools were hit by COVID-19 exposures in the previous year, including elementary schools, and while the Tri-Cities’ high rate of vaccination offers significant protection, there is concern the Delta variant will become prevalent, especially in elementary schools.
“Given what we know about the highly contagious Delta variant, we need to err on the side of caution and return to schools with everyone wearing masks. Vaccinations are integral to safer schools, but can’t be our only line of defence,” said Mooring.
“We know for certain that none of the students 11 years old or younger will be vaccinated, and the vaccination rate for eligible youth still isn’t as high as we would all hope to see.”
ENHANCED VENTILATION AND N95 MASKS SOUGHT
The BCTF is also urging government to implement several new measures ahead of the school year to ensure proper protections are in place.
Among the measures she’s requesting are:
- School-based clinics to allow easy access to vaccinations for age-eligible students
- Funding for ventilation system upgrades to meet the minimum standards of MERV 13 filters, and HEPA filters in workspaces where MERV 13 filters are not possible
- N95 and/or medical-grade masks available for all students and staff upon request
- Comprehensive COVID-19 testing strategy that includes asymptomatic testing
- Designated time for health and safety training at all schools and worksites
Coquitlam School District (SD43) expects to see about 32,000 students return to classrooms with no more cohorts and a return of sports and extracurricular activities.
Based on guidance from the provincial health officer, students will not be organized into learning groups when classes start in September, but will continue to be required to stay home when feeling sick, wash their hands and complete daily health checks.
The province has posted its plans for schools online and expects to update them this month.
- with a file from Kyle Balzer, Tri-City News
