Ontario COVID-19 science table believes schools can reopen safely on a regional basis
by Meredith Bond and The Canadian Press
Posted May 29, 2021 8:10 am EDT
Last Updated May 29, 2021 at 8:39 am EDT
A Grade 6 class room is shown at Hunter s Glen Junior Public School which is part of the Toronto District School Board during the COVID-19 pandemic on Sept. 14, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette
Summary
Ontario s COVID-19 science advisory table says reopening schools is safe
The table says modelling shows the increase in COVID-19 cases related to in-person learning would be small
Several other stakeholders, including hospitals and the Ontario Medical Association, were included in the response
WINDSOR, ONT. The medical officer of health for Windsor-Essex has joined other health officials in support of the reopening of schools to in-person learning in June. Dr. Wajid Ahmed is a member of the Council of Ontario Medical Officers of Health, who along with the President and CEO of The Hospital for Sick Children, sent a joint letter to Education Minister Stephen Lecce on May 20. The letter expressed support for the reopening of schools as essential for children as community rates of COVID-19 decrease across the province. “Upon careful review and consideration of local indicators, the group believes it is possible, and in fact, imperative, that schools begin to open before the reopening of other sectors,” said the letter.
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BY DR. ALANNA GOLDEN, DR. JENNIFER GRANT and DR. MARTHA FULFORD
One of the good news stories about this pandemic is how remarkably unscathed children and youth have been from COVID-19 illness itself.
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Try refreshing your browser, or OPINION: Strong leadership needed to open schools now Back to video
Another good news story is that in study after study, schools have proven safe for children, youth and education workers. Schools are merely a reflectionof community transmission and have not been shown to amplify it.
Despite what we have learned, Ontario continues toclose its doors to in-person learning.
The Doctor’s visit to Morrisburg May 15, 2021 at 10 h 41 min Reading time: 6 min 30 s
By Phillip Blancher, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Eastern Ontario Health Unit medical officer of health Dr. Paul Roumeliotis visited the Morrisburg Arena on May 10th, the site of a one-day COVID-19 vaccination clinic held in South Dundas.
Copyright - Phillip Blancher.
SOUTH DUNDAS, Ontario – Eastern Ontario Health Unit Medical Officer of Health Dr. Paul Roumeliotis has been leading local efforts against the COVID-19 pandemic since it began 14 months ago. In an interview with The Leader at the one-day COVID-19 vaccination clinic held in Morrisburg on May 10th, he discussed the continuing vaccination efforts, the current lock-down measures, and some of the longer-term effects of the pandemic.