Around 2 million Ontario students who have been in lockdown at home due to COVID-19 should return to school in the fall with no strict physical distancing or a requirement to wear a mask based on a report from experts at SickKids hospital in Toronto.
Based on the recommendations in the school reopening report, the risks of the virus must be balanced against the harm to children posed by school closures and rules that prevent them from getting close to each other.
The recommendations will be a key piece of advice for the Ontario Education Minister. He promised a back-to-school plan by the end of June. Elementary and secondary students have been learning at home, mainly online since schools closed in mid-March due to the pandemic.
The SickKids report emphasizes that the risks of COVID-19 to children “appear to be minimal.” There is evidence that children may be less likely to acquire the illness or transmit it to others based on the report. In Canada, only 6.9% of reported COVID-19 cases have been in those ages 19 and older. Most children who become infected either have no symptoms or only mild ones.
For more information about this story, click here to read now.
LEARN MORE
Learn how to stay safe by enrolling in a mask fitting test which is a requirement for many workplaces and school admissions or check the available masks for sale by visiting our face mask sale page.
Healthline: Importance of Face Masks in the Battle Against COVID-19