Tam preaches caution as schools reopen
• With students returning to classrooms across the country, the nation’s chief public health officer warned Tuesday that Canadians will have to stay vigilant to keep COVID-19 out of schools.
D r. Theresa Ta m announced Tuesday there have now been 132,142 cases in Canada, with more than 9,000 deaths. While the majority of people who have tested positive have since recovered, she said recent weeks have seen an increase in cases, risking a possible second wave.
“A l t h o u g h Canada is striving to maintain a slow burn, the average daily case count has been increasing in recent days. This is concerning and I want to underscore that when cases occur, including in schools, it’s a reflection of what’s happening in the community.”
Tam flagged, in particular, the reproduction number of the virus, which is now above one because of outbreaks in large provinces. That number indicates how many people each infected person then spreads the virus on to and it is currently above one, allowing the disease to grow.
“That is not a good sign. We don’t want that to happen,” she said.
The reproduction number has been below one at some points this past summer suggesting the virus was dying out.
Schools across the country reopened on Tuesday, with some new measures in place to keep students distanced from each other, but concerns among parents and teachers that the virus would spread as people head inside.
In Quebec, Alberta and Ontario, schools that opened earlier have already seen positive COVID - 19 cases. Tam said there were no measures that would completely eliminate the risk, but keeping kids home if they ’ re sick, frequent hand washing and using mask will help control the spread.
She said the next two weeks will tell the story of whether Canada is headed for a second wave or just a steady, but contained number of cases.
“T he ne xt two weeks is not just a reflection of maybe schools or colleges, but also, of course this last long weekend.”
COVID- 19 can manifest with a wide variety of symptoms, Tam said that would be a challenge, but said the testing capacity exists and people with any symptoms should get tested.
Ontario Doug Ford defended his province’s back to school plan Tuesday, but echoed Tam’s message about needing to keep transmission in the community low.
He said the province’s plan aims to protect kids health, but also pushes to get them back in school where they should be. He touted investments in personal protective equipment, public health nurses and other changes designed to keep schools safe.
“A whole army of people have gone above and beyond to make classrooms safe for the return of school.”
Ford said the growth in new cases in Ontario was coming from three cit - ies, Ottawa, Toronto and Brampton and he encouraged people in those places to be more cautious.
“We have gone through everything together as a team and you can’t let your guard down now.”
He said he has heard far too many reports about large parties or gatherings happening and he encouraged people to call police if they see their neighbours hosting large events.
“We have to go in and put the hammer down on people that don’t want to follow protocols and guidelines because it’s gonna affect every single one of us.”
Ontario’s health minister Christine Elliott also announced a four- week pause on any further steps to reopen the province’s economy, citing the increasing numbers.
“We do need to ensure that the progress we made is not lost. Taking a pause and further reopening it big time will help us to avoid returning to broad scale closures and shutdowns,” she said.
All of Ontario has moved into the third stage of the province’s reopening plan, but there are still rules in place on the number of people who can gather in one place and other restrictions meant to limit potential spread.
Elliott said it was essential to be cautious so schools could continue to welcome students and broader lockdowns would not be required.
“We want to keep the community transmission very low, so that it won’t get into our schools, so our children will be safe,” she said. “That is our absolute top priority right now and what we need to focus on because that’s the issue that’s worrying most parents and families.”