Toronto, Peel and York schools to remain closed until February

Students in hot spot regions in Ontario will not be returning to school for in-person learning until February as the province declares a State of Emergency.

Based on the advice of the Chief Medical Officer of Health, schools in Windsor-Essex, Peel Region, Toronto, York and Hamilton, will not reopen for students for in-class learning until February 10.

“As I’ve said from the beginning, when it comes to our children, I will not take any unnecessary risks,” said Premier Doug Ford in the presser.

Ford shared that the Chief Medical Officer of Health will provide recommendations for the remaining regions.

“At the heart of our continued efforts to protect against the spread of COVID-19 in our communities is a firm commitment to return kids to school safely,” said Education Minister Stephen Lecce in a release.

“Protecting our students, staff and their families is our top priority, and these additional measures build on our comprehensive plan to reopen schools and keep young children in child care safe.”

According to the province, schools in northern Public Health Units will continue to remain open.

In order to keep students, staff, and communities safe, the new health and safety measures that will be put in place for in-person learning include masking for Grades one to three and requirements for mask-wearing outdoors, enhanced screening protocols and expanded targeted testing.

New health and safety measures will also be implemented in Ontario child care settings, such as “enhanced screening to align with school requirements, voluntary participation in targeted testing and additional infection prevention and control measures to align with schools,” according to the provincial government.

“These enhancements are in addition to the existing health and safety measures already being implemented in child care settings across the province.”