B.C.’s top doctor says its normal for some parents to be anxious about the return to school plan.
Dr. Bonnie Henry says those feelings are common when people are going through something new, especially when it affects their children and their families.
“We need to take it slowly, we need to build the confidence that we have. We continue to have low levels of transmission,” she said last week.
“That is one of the most important things and it something that all of us need to pay attention to. Safety in our schools, safety in our workplaces relies on us having those low levels of transmission in the community. We need to talk through them and remind ourselves what we know, making sure that we are keeping up on what’s going on around the world and that we are putting in place the best plan that we can.”
On Friday, Henry, and Health Minister Adrian Dix announced 53 new cases of COVID-19 in B.C., which saw the number of active cases increase to 386, a vast majority in the Lower Mainland.
Henry has said on multiple instances that it is important for children to get as much as in-class instruction as possible, noting the return to school plan is not a one-size fits all, and more details will be released in the near future.
“Many [children] will not have been in a classroom for up to 175 days, and the type of learning that many children need in that classroom setting is something that we need to make a priority,” she said.
“We’re all anxious. I was very anxious when we started doing surgeries again, when we let visitors into long term care, but we need to live with those anxieties,” Henry added.
Henry added she is confident that B.C.’s plan will minimize contact while still allowing kids to interact within a ‘cohort’ of 60 or 120, depending on the grade in question.
The Premier, John Horgan, says he too wants parents to know that health officials would not be putting their children at risk by sending them back to school.
“New evidence will take us in new directions. Where we have been successful in British Columbia is that we have deferred to those who know better than we do, and British Columbians have responded very positively to that,” Horgan said.
“Other jurisdictions have had a different approach to communicating how we respond as a community to this extraordinary challenge.”
He did admit previously that going back to class in September will be an unprecedented challenge because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We believe that based on the work that’s been done in the schools by all of the stakeholders – teachers, those that support special needs kids, those that keeps our schools clean, administrators, support staff – everybody, is focused on making sure that this is a success,” Horgan added.
A number of provinces have made some changes to their return to school plan, but it remains to be seen if B.C. will with kids set to return to class on September 8.
