The Manitoba government updated its practices and protocols for the return to the classroom on September 8, 2020.
Although all students can wear a mask if they or their parent’s choose the use of non-medical face masks in schools is strongly recommended for students in grades 5 to 12, staff and others in schools in common areas and where physical distancing is not possible.
All students in grade 5 and up as well as bus drivers will be required to wear non-medical masks while on school buses advised Manitoba Public Health.
Extra masks will be made available at all schools throughout the school year for those who do not have their own.
“The safety and health of students and staff, and their families, are the priority as Manitoba returns to in-class learning,” said Education Minister Kelvin Goertzen. “These protocols, in accordance with Public Health advice, will be implemented by all school divisions as part of the Manitoba government’s detailed guidance.”
Inside the schools extra handwashing and sanitizing stations will be set up and monitored to ensure students use them.
Access within schools will be controlled with the use of designated entrances, on-way or marked hallways, leaving space between desks and tables in classrooms, staggering the start and end-times for recess and lunch, limiting the number of people allowed in washrooms.
Timetables for students will be set to avoid spare periods.
Students in high school will likely have days when they will learn from home.
Parents will be reminded on a regular basis that any student who is sick or showing symptoms of cold, flu or COVID-19 must stay home. If a student develops symptoms or become sick at school they will be isolated and parents or caregivers will be called to pick up their child.
Cleaning and disinfecting will occur around schools, especially high touch surfaces, on an increased basis throughout the day.
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“As always, the simplest and most effective prevention measures are staying home when sick, practising proper hand hygiene, covering your cough, and not sharing items with others,” said Dr. Brent Roussin, Manitoba’s chief provincial public health officer.
“The goal of the Restoring Safe Schools plan is to maximize in-class learning while maintaining a focus on safety,” said Goertzen. “Parents and students need to know there is a process in place in the event students become ill and how their safety will be maintained.”
Should a case of COVID-19 occur at a school, Public Health will work closely with school administrators to identify close contacts, notify them and advise them to self-isolate. The areas of a school where exposures took place will be cleaned and disinfected, and these areas will not be used until it is determined safe to do so. School communities will be notified when a student at their school is a confirmed case, once close contacts have been identified. A closure of a school would be a last resort and only with evidence of transmission among multiple groups of students or staff, Roussin noted.
© News4.ca 2020
