A week in, and so far so good in London-area schools
Managing the return to school with the highly transmissible Delta variant of COVID-19 has proven to be a challenge in some areas of the province, but less so in the London region.
In Toronto, the health unit is investigating cases at 23 schools.
“My understanding is they are taking it very seriously,” says infectious disease expert Dr. Isaac Bogoch. “There’s been a few classes that are in isolation, there’s some areas that are closed off.”
In Windsor, at least 17 classes have been sent home due to cases of COVID-19, according to Windsor-Essex County Health Unit CEO Nicole Dupuis. That is impacting roughly 600 students.
"The number and total of students so soon is maybe a little bit more than we anticipated, but we were prepared, we did know that there would be quite a large impact."
The rate of vaccinated students between the ages of 12 and 17 stands at 56 per cent in the Windsor area.
Bogoch says it isn’t known yet how much it is spreading within the school.
“It’ll certainly be brought into the schools, we know that, and the rate at which it’s brought will be basically reflective of the rates in the community.”
Where that trend has not continued is in London-Middlesex, where only 10 active cases are being reported in area schools, and zero within the London District Catholic School Board (LDCSB).
“No that’s right, we haven’t had any cases thus far,” says Director of Education for LDCSB Vince Romeo. He adds they are going beyond the recommended guidelines set out by the province.
“In most of our schools, especially within the elementary level, we have maintained cohorting, so we’re really keeping classrooms of students as separated as possible.”
One of the added measures is a pause on school volunteers, until at least the end of the month, and a restriction on the use of shared spaces, in an effort of keeping students from moving through the school.
“Those are what I would say, a little bit more cautious then even our re-entry guidance plans. But so far they have been working.”
Romeo re-iterated the cautious approach is due to how fast the Delta variant can spread in a school setting and they will keep the stricter restrictions in place until a time when it is deemed safe to relax them.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.