Masks or no masks for the return of school in B.C.?
Once again, there's a push for children to wear masks in schools as the COVID-19 immunization rate for younger kids lags behind the rest of the population.
Jennifer Heighton with Safe Schools Coalition B.C. says the group is hearing from parents concerned that masks will be optional in the upcoming school year.
B.C. hasn't required masks in classrooms since after spring break, and the province insists transmission is low. The coalition is calling for universal mask protections, noting recent high rates of infection.
"If they're wearing a mask – and maybe they don't know (they're sick) yet, the symptoms haven't shown up – if they have a mask, then they're not breathing it out into the air," said Heighton.
CTV News asked Health Minister Adrian Dix about whether parents could expect a return to mask-wearing. He said new guidelines for schools were in the works, but suggested the province would take a status quo approach.
"We've moved from system of rules to a system of guidance," he said. "I don't think you're going to see a change in the approach we've taken in recent times."
The B.C. Teachers Federation had a look at draft safety guidelines for the return of school on Thursday. The union isn’t calling for a mask mandate, but rather, accessibility, according to president Clint Johnston.
"Our position is that N95 masks (are) available for those who would like them, but that they're readily available and nobody's having to provide their own to feel safe, comfortable at school,” said Johnston.
He added teachers were cautious, but excited for a school year that will look more like those before COVID-19. Johnston noted teachers want to see frequent cleaning and better ventilation as part of the guidelines.
For Heighton, another concern is the frequency of reinfections. She questioned what that could mean in the long term.
"Are you opening the door to more of that long-term damage down the road? Do we really know enough about this virus to predict that it's going to be benign?" Heighton said.
The health minister says more than half of kids aged 5 to 11 have one dose of vaccine. A significant number don't have a second shot. Those aged six months to five years have a vaccination rate of just eight per cent.
What could be a bigger concern is when COVID-19 cases collide with respiratory illness season.
Dix said health officials were meeting to plan for that period: November, December and January.
Heighton and other parents say aside from a mask mandate, they also want to see more work done to improve ventilation in schools.
The Education Ministry did not respond to CTV’s request for comment.
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