What is the government’s COVID-19 back-to-school plan for Manitoba students?
Posted August 9, 2022 9:47 am.
Last Updated August 9, 2022 10:47 am.
Manitoba schools are set to reopen next month and there has been no word from the province on what the plan is, and what schools will look like in the fall.
At around this time last year, schools were heavily preparing for the return of students and staff. But this year, uncertainty remains.
Marco Soares, a Sturgeon Heights Collegiate student entering his final year of high school, says they ended off the 2021-22 school year without many restrictions and would like to see the same format for the upcoming year.
But if that is not the plan, he says he would like to know as soon as possible so he could prepare for a different outcome.
“It’d be nice to hear official confirmation from the province on that, as I would like to honestly have a normal school year for the first time in two years,” said Soares.
“I’d personally just like to see just a reinforcement of a plan on what our back to school is going to look like.”
The provincial response level to COVID-19 is green, or limited risk, and there are currently no restrictions in place.
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CityNews reached out to the office of Education Minister Wayne Ewasko to find out if there will be a back-to-school update, but did not immediately hear back.
“It will honestly depend, if the numbers do start increasing in schools and we do start seeing a higher risk, it would be necessary to have more restrictions,” said Soares. “But in the meantime if would be nice to give the students that choice now, since we have been doing it for the past couple of months.”
Masks not mandatory in Ontario schools
Ontario’s Education Ministry announced Monday that masks will not be mandatory for students and staff in schools for the upcoming year.
Dr. Aleeza Gerstein, an assistant professor in microbiology and statistics at the University of Manitoba, says the Manitoba government should be following the fundamentals, including mask wearing, proper ventilation and proper filtration.
“To not do the things that we know that mitigate COVID in children, does not make sense to me at this point,” she said.
Gerstein says the province’s schools have the tools in place to prevent further outbreaks of the virus.
“Now is the time to put them back into place,” she said. “There is no reason not to do this. If you want to claim economics, these things will be cheaper than treating long-term disabilities.”
Soares says the past two years have been frustrating and to him, it’s also frustrating not knowing what his final year of high school will entail.
“Even if restrictions do come, you have to think about the bigger good for everyone and we should always keep doing the best in our learning and hope for things to get better,” he said.
