FREDERICTON — Masks and rapid tests marked the return to class Monday for students in New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island.
While both provinces have eased COVID-19 restrictions in general, they have imposed strict measures intended to keep students and staff safe. They include the installation of portable HEPA filters in classrooms that did not already have mechanical ventilation systems and include the distribution of new masks.
Heather Mullen, president of the PEI Home and School Federation, says it's important for students to be back in school and get the social interaction of being with their classmates.
"It's been almost two years since they've had what we would call a regular school year. It's important they go back and be around their friends and have that social element," Mullen said in an interview Monday.
She said while some parents were nervous about sending their children back Monday, she said she believes it was safe for her 11-year-old son. Mullen said that since in-person learning stopped on Dec. 17, he's only been allowed to be home and at his grandparents' house.
"This is even safer than letting him go to a store because everyone going to school has been rapid tested over the weekend and they are all wearing the higher-quality masks," Mullen said. "Of all the places I could let him go I feel there's more safety measures sending him off to school."
Students and staff in P.E.I. must complete three rapid tests for COVID-19 each week.
High school students in New Brunswick head back to in-person classes Wednesday, while P.E.I. high school students return Thursday.
Last week, New Brunswick Education Minister Dominic Cardy thanked teachers and parents for their efforts during the extended period of online learning that resulted from the Omicron wave of the pandemic.
"I recognize that changes to education throw your lives upside down and I don't for a moment underestimate the impact on your lives," he told reporters. "And again I can say we are only doing this as part of our collective effort to push back against a disease that right now is threatening our hospital system."
Connie Keating, president of the New Brunswick Teachers' Association, said Monday that the government has been working to address concerns raised by her members.
"We remain concerned about how eventual outbreaks and isolation requirements will impact staffing," she said in a statement. "This strain on the system was evident last fall as COVID-19 impacted schools throughout the province. It is our understanding that additional personnel are being mobilized to respond to shortages, but we remain eager to learn the specific details outlining the minimum standard for safely staffing schools and keeping them open to students and staff."
Health officials in New Brunswick reported five more COVID-19-related deaths Monday, raising the province's death toll to 238 since the start of the pandemic. They said 152 people were hospitalized with COVID-19 — a drop of 12 since Sunday. There were 16 people in intensive care — an increase of three from the day before.
In Prince Edward Island, chief public health officer Dr. Heather Morrison reported 15 people in hospital with COVID-19, including two in intensive care. She said another five people admitted to hospital for other reasons had tested positive for COVID-19.
Meanwhile, Nova Scotia reported three more COVID-19-related deaths Monday. Two were in the western zone and one was in the central zone. The province reported 93 people in hospital because of COVID-19, including 15 in intensive care.
In Newfoundland and Labrador, two more people have died from the disease, for a total of 40 since the start of the pandemic. There were 22 people hospitalized with COVID-19 on Monday, including nine in intensive care.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 31, 2022.
Kevin Bissett, The Canadian Press
