What is the protocol should a student or staff member test positive for COVID-19 when B.C. schools return next month?
Provincial Health Officer, Dr. Bonnie Henry says it will depends on the situation and whether or not the person was infectious while they were at school.
“If that happened when they had not been in school during an infectious period, then no, there might not need to be anybody who is self isolating,” she said. “If it happened where there was exposures to many other children, a risk assessment is done and a case investigation is done by public health.”
The worst-case scenario, she said, is that the entire cohort of 60 for elementary and middle schools or 120 for secondary schools will have to self-isolate and be tested.
“The unit of learning is still going to be classroom based and those will be smaller units, so the most likely transmission will be in a much smaller group of people, if that happens, the risk of transmission is in a much smaller group of people,” Henry added. “So each of those will be investigated individually.”
During the return to school in June, there were two teachers who tested positive for COVID-19 in the Fraser Health Authority.
“We do have school health officers across the province for every school and we are used to working with the school community around infectious diseases, so there will be an investigation of every single case and anybody who is at risk will be removed from the environment and self-isolating,” Henry said.
The province’s return to school plan also requires all students and school staff to monitor themselves for COVID-19 symptoms and stay home if they are feeling unwell.
There will also be limits to the number of visitors allowed to enter school buildings, and a screening process for people who go into the school system.
Speaking during her Monday news conference, Henry again reiterated her statement that masks can interfere with a students’ ability to learn, but she notes it can help in situations where physical distancing cannot be maintained.
“It is a challenge. To think of, particularly a young child, 10, 11, 12, sitting all day in a classroom with a mask on is probably not realistic,” she said. “There’s lots of things we can do to make those environments safe without requiring someone to sit with a mask on for long periods of time.”
The Public Health Agency of Canada recommends non-medical masks for children at the age of 10 – around Grade 4 – and older based on current evidence of COVID-19 transmission in the country.
In Ontario, students in Grade 4 and up will be required to wear masks, including in class, while younger students will be encouraged to do the same, but it will not be mandated for them.
Masks will be mandatory for Alberta students in Grade 4 and up and in common areas, but not in class if students are working at their desks. In Nova Scotia, masks will be needed for high-school students in common areas, but not in class.
Quebec’s updated back-to-school plan requires students in Grade 5 and up to wear masks in all common areas of school buildings, except classrooms.
There has been a recent push for mask use in B.C. schools – including a petition by a Richmond student Victor Lam.
“Both Dr. Bonnie Henry and the CDC have previously mentioned that non-medical masks or face coverings should be used in situations where physical distancing is impossible,” Lam said in his online petition.
“To protect the safety of all students and teachers, face coverings should be mandatory for all in schools.”
