Loading articles. I just want them to be safe. Parents concerned over Ontario s plan to reopen schools in COVID hot spots
by Nicole Thompson, The Canadian Press
Posted Feb 5, 2021 12:41 pm EDT
Last Updated Feb 5, 2021 at 2:15 pm EDT
All students in Ontario began the month of January with virtual learning as part of a provincial lockdown.
The province has since taken a staggered approach to reopen physical classrooms, starting first with Northern Ontario and rural schools where case rates are lower. Kelly Sikkema
Ontario’s plan to
reopen schools in COVID-19 hot spots has raised concerns among parents who say the government has failed to implement safety measures just as contagious new variants of the novel coronavirus are taking hold.
17 Barrie residents among 44 new COVID cases in region today
Overall, 92 local cases have tested positive for the UK variant and an additional 77 have screened positive and await confirmatory testing
Feb 5, 2021 2:36 PM By: Erika Engel
The Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit offices are located on Sperling Drive in north-end Barrie. Raymond Bowe/BarrieToday
The Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit has reported 44 new COVID-19 cases and three deaths in the region in its update today.
The deaths reported today include two Bradford West Gwillimbury women who were over 80 and one Innisfil woman between 65 and 79 years old.
Both Bradford resident cases were linked to the outbreak at Bradford Valley Care Community. One of the women died on Jan. 26 and one died on Feb. 1.
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“I feel that I am against the wall and I have to decide between sending my kids to school and keeping my family safe,” said Fernanda Yanchapaxi, a Toronto mother of two.
“I’m not saying that I don’t want them to be back. I’m dying for them to go back to school. I just want them to be safe.”
She said she wants teachers to be mandated to wear higher-grade personal protective equipment, and for the government to impose smaller class sizes in elementary schools.