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
BREAKING Average hourly wage in Canada now $34.95: StatCan
Average hourly wages among Canadian employees rose to $34.95 on a year-over-year basis in April, a 4.7 per cent increase, according to a Statistics Canada report released Friday morning.
From outer space? Sask. farmers baffled after discovering strange wreckage in field
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.
This iconic Canadian song is turning 50
Andy Kim's 'Rock Me Gently' is marking a major milestone, as it celebrates its 50th anniversary.
Oprah Winfrey: I set an unrealistic standard for dieting
Oprah Winfrey said on Thursday evening that she has long played a role in promoting unhealthy and unrealistic diets.
Ontario family receives massive hospital bill as part of LTC law, refuses to pay
A southwestern Ontario woman has received an $8,400 bill from a hospital in Windsor, Ont., after she refused to put her mother in a nursing home she hated -- and she says she has no intention of paying it.
Toronto police called to Drake's Bridle Path mansion for another alleged intruder on Thursday
Toronto police say a man who allegedly attempted to access Drake’s Bridle Path property was taken to hospital on Thursday after an altercation with security guards.
Flat tire on a highway? Here's why you shouldn't try to fix it
If you're cruising down a highway and realize you have a flat tire, you may want to think twice before stopping to fix it on the side of the road.
Storm-battered U.S. South is again under threat. A boy swept into a drain fights for his life
Dangerous storms crashed over parts of the U.S. South on Thursday even as the region cleaned up from earlier severe weather that spawned tornadoes, killed at least three people, and gravely injured a boy who was swept into a storm drain as he played in a flooded street.
Broadcaster and commentator Rex Murphy dead at 77: National Post
The National Post is reporting that Rex Murphy, the pundit and columnist who hosted a national call-in radio show for decades, has died.