Members of the Surrey Teachers’ Association have penned an open letter to BC Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry asking her to introduce stronger measures to prevent COVID-19 transmission in schools.

They want her to mandate mask wearing in school and reduce classroom capacity to 50% of normal.

“We are not safe. Teachers have contracted COVID-19 at school. One (that we know of) has been in the ICU,” the letter reads.

• See also:
  • Surrey teacher hospitalized in ICU after contracting COVID-19
  • First BC healthcare workers vaccinated against COVID-19

It adds the 6,000 teachers making these demands teaching in a district that’s overcrowded and growing, and classes often have limited ability to physically distance.

Read the full letter from association president Matt Westphal:

An open letter from @SurreyTeachers to Dr. Bonnie Henry: “We are not safe.” #bced #bcpoli pic.twitter.com/xK9t0yTIcC

— Matt Westphal (@vauvent) December 15, 2020