A major sense of urgency for all Lakehead schools to go to virtual learning.
Board Trustee Ellen Chambers says the board recently voted to ask the provincial government, and health unit, to make the move starting Monday, and lasting at least two weeks.
She adds with a number of schools already strictly virtual, tracing potential COVID-19 cases is becoming tougher for staff and students. “And then contacting students, and the health unit, looking for where did this come from, trying to trace if there’s any transmission in the schools… we’re in a crisis.”
The board member says there are 576 students isolating and 55 staff, as of Tuesday.
As for the possibility of any COVID-19 variant at any schools, Chambers says she is not aware of any.
“You can imagine this is putting major gaps and holes in our system, to the point where we don’t have enough supply teachers to cover our missing employees,” says Chambers.
And the domino effect is taking its toll.
“We have buses that are affected. If a child gets on that bus and was asymptomatic, and tested positive for COVID, that means the bus driver is now considered a close contact,” says the board member.
Part of the resolution was to have the two week period extended beyond two weeks, if needed.
