Cluster of coronavirus cases found at Victoria Elementary School vancouverisland.ctvnews.ca - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from vancouverisland.ctvnews.ca Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
British Columbia deploys special COVID-19 teams to aid schools Bookmark Please log in to listen to this story. Also available in French and Mandarin. Log In Create Free Account
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JONATHAN HAYWARD/The Canadian Press
British Columbia is deploying six specialized COVID-19 teams across the province to help school districts better communicate with kids and their parents on potential virus exposures as well as improve individual school’s safety plans.
The union for the province’s 47,000 teachers has been demanding stronger protections from the virus since the current school year began in September. It welcomed the move, but said many more measures are needed to make schools safer.
Masks in classrooms made mandatory princegeorgecitizen.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from princegeorgecitizen.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Mask use remains optional for elementary school students, with parents to decide. The new requirement applies to all indoor areas, with the only exceptions being when drinking or eating or when sitting or standing at a workstation with a barrier in place. The change comes with about 90 days left in the 2020-2021 school year. The announcement was made on Thursday morning (Feb. 4) by Education Minister Jennifer Whiteside, Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and B.C. School Trustees’ Association president Stephanie Higginson. Other changes include further guidelines in physical education and music classes. High intensity activities should now be done outdoors, whenever possible, shared equipment must be cleaned between use using new guidelines, students using equipment or instruments must be spaced two metres apart and masks must be worn while singing.