PARENTS CONCERNED ABOUT COVID-19 SPREAD IN SCHOOLS

The majority of respondents in a newly released Canada-wide survey say they are concerned about the spread of COVID-19 in schools and want children and staff to wear masks. The survey by the Canadian Hub for Applied and Social Research at the University of Saskatchewan asked 1,000 people about any worries in sending kids to school and their thoughts on what public health orders should be in place. Most respondents (89 per cent) said they were vaccinated. Of those with children 12 and older who are eligible to get a dose, 81 per cent said their kids were also vaccinated. Parents have been watching closely as children returned to classrooms across the country during the fourth wave of the pandemic. The survey said respondents were largely confident in the safeguards at their children’s schools. Many (70 per cent) respondents said they were still concerned about the spread of the virus in schools in their area. Sixty-nine per cent were also concerned about spread at post-secondary institutions.