COVID-19 in schools: B.C. changing how parents will be notified about cases
With students in B.C. being back in class for a couple of weeks, the province's health officials are already changing some of its procedures around COVID-19 notifications and contact tracing in schools.
Earlier this month, provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said B.C. would no longer issue school-wide letters when someone tested positive for the disease. Instead, just those who were exposed to the disease would be notified directly.
"It was my understanding that there was a level of anxiety from the way that we had given broad school notifications last year," Henry said in a news conference Tuesday.
"But we hear from parents across the province, I hear from educators and our teams have recognized that parents do need an authoritative source to go to have an understanding of what is happening at their children's school."
Henry said her team is still working to develop its new system, but said it would be "less intrusive and more sustainable." Officials hope to have that in place by the weekend.
"If your child has been exposed to somebody with COVID in a school system, you will be notified," she said.
"It does take time to follow up on each individual case and that sometimes can take longer than you expect but you will be notified."
Henry reiterated that vaccines have changed the situations in schools this year.
"This year is different because we have so many of our school staff and students protected through vaccination," she said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Deaths of 4 people on Sask. farm confirmed as murder-suicide
The deaths of four people on a farm near the Saskatchewan village of Neudorf have been confirmed a murder-suicide.
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
Full parole granted to man convicted in notorious 'McDonald's murders' in Cape Breton
The Parole Board of Canada has granted full parole to one of three men convicted in the brutal murders of three McDonald's restaurant workers in Cape Breton more than 30 years ago.
Incident on Calgary's Reconciliation Bridge comes to safe resolution
Nearly 20 hours after a man climbed and remained perched on top of the Reconciliation Bridge in downtown Calgary, the situation came to a peaceful resolution.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
George Washington family secrets revealed by DNA from unmarked 19th century graves
Genetic analysis has shed light on a long-standing mystery surrounding the fates of U.S. President George Washington's younger brother Samuel and his kin.
'We won't forget': How some Muslims view Poilievre's stance on Israel-Hamas war
A spokesman for a regional Muslim advocacy group says Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's stance on the Israel-Hamas war could complicate his party's relationship with Muslim Canadians.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.