LONDON, ONT -- During a town-hall meeting Monday, the Middlesex-London Health Unit’s Medical Officer of Health said he expects some cases of COVID-19 in area schools after they reopen.

However Dr. Chris Mackie also expressed confidence in the steps taken to minimize the risk and highlighted that he is in the same boat as other local parents.

“My daughter will be attending a Thames Valley (Dristrict School Board) school this fall,” says Mackie. “I looked at their plans and believe there is a lot of thought and a lot of safety in those plans.”

Mackie fielded many questions from parents during a COVID-19 virtual town hall meeting Monday evening.

“We’re going through this big transition right now, and schools reopening is really the final stage before we start to see what the new world will look like,” he said.

Regarding school buses he said students will be clustered in seats by grade to minimize the risk of spread between classes.

About fans cooling classrooms he advised that students not be seated too close to them.

Mackie repeatedly expressed confidence in the steps being taken to minimize the risk of COVID-19 outbreaks in schools this fall.

“Likely a single case will not be enough to close a school down. Likely we are looking for spread between one case to another in a school environment,” said Mackie.

Newly released data confirms that there’s a large number of parents in our region concerned about sending their kids to a bricks and mortar school in September.

A survey of patents by The Thames Valley District School Board has to date found 8200 students opting for remote learning 10 percent of total enrolment.

Mackie told several participants that families must consider their own individual health risks when deciding if their kids will return.

Adding, after reviewing the protocols one of his own children will be taking a bus to a TVDSB school this fall.

“With tens of thousands of kids attending school in the fall, no doubt we are going to see cases. That doesn’t mean we are going to see outbreaks in those environments. That’s what we are all trying to prevent.”

Local school boards like TVDSB have now have return to classroom plans posted on their websites.