Saskatchewan’s Chief Medical Health Officer has announced that Saskatchewan schools open for now.
While concern over spread of Coronavirus COVID-19 continues to rise, the risk in Saskatchewan still remains low but is increasing.
The decision to close schools is made upon the advice of the provincial Chief Medical Health Officer.
The government says everyone needs to ensure they are taking measures as individuals to maintain social distancing including staying home if sick and keeping children out of school if sick.
“Any recommendation to close schools is based on risk assessment and made on a case-by-case basis,” Saskatchewan’s Chief Medical Health Office Dr. Saqib Shahab said. “The decision to close schools should not be made in the absence of valid public health reasons and the benefits and risks need to be considered carefully.”
The positive cases in Saskatchewan are still primarily travel-related and there is no sustained community transmission at this time. As we learn more or if the situation changes there could be school closures locally on the direction of the local Medical Health Officer or more broadly on the direction of the Chief Medical Health Officer.
The criteria for school closures is based on a number of factors including:
• Evidence of sustained transmission within the community
• Rapid increase of local cases
• Transmission without a known link to travel or confirmed cases.
As the province lays out conditions for school closures to arrest the spread of COVID-19, the Saskatchewan NDP is calling on the government to commit to supports for school workers who need to self-isolate while schools remain open, and supports for families and staff in the event of closure.
“Given the criteria put out by the Saskatchewan Health Authority and the pattern of spread, schools will close in Saskatchewan,” said NDP Leader Ryan Meili. “It’s a matter of not if, but when, which means the time to be preparing is now. We’re calling on the government to do everything they can to minimize and mitigate the risks in schools today, and to prepare all necessary supports for eventual closure.”
“In the short term, that means ensuring adequate cleaning supplies and staffing levels for schools, allowing any staff needing to self-isolate because of illness or recent travel to do so without drawing down sick days, and providing accommodations for families who choose to proactively keep their children at home,” said Meili.
The NDP is also calling on the government to rapidly put the supports in place to ensure that disruptions for families and staff in the event of school closures are kept to a minimum. Specifically, the NDP called for wage support for caregivers who miss work due to school closure; assurances that teachers, support staff and daycare workers will continue to be paid if their facilities are closed; and support for children who depend on school lunches for their food security.
“Our kids’ schools are vital to the health of our communities,” said NDP Education Critic Carla Beck. “Especially in this difficult time, we need to be pulling out all the stops to ensure that teachers and childcare workers have the support they need to keep our kids safe and healthy. At the same time, we need to be putting the supports in place to ensure that we can manage school closures safely and with minimal disruption to the lives of children and families.”
