Premier Doug Ford is discouraging school boards from seeking extensions to the lifting of the mask mandate later this month, telling reporters that trustees “aren’t medical experts” and should simply follow the advice of Ontario’s top health official.
Trustees with both the Toronto District School Board and the Toronto Catholic District School Board have formally asked that the scheduled lifting of the mandate in schools on March 21 be put on hold for an indeterminate period of time amid concerns about the potential spread of COVID-19 as students return from March Break.
Ministry officials have previously said that local medical officers of health could theoretically issue a Section 22 order to require masks in schools without receiving approval from the Ford government. The TDSB also said that trustees also voted to rescind the mandatory vaccination policy for employee as of March 14, in line with direction from the Ontario government.
In its memo, the TDSB said that while masks will no longer be required after March 21 they will continue to be “strongly encouraged” and Personal Protective Equipment will still be provided to staff. While the TDSB has said that it will follow the province’s guidance on masks unless permitted more time, Bird said that trustees do feel that the March 21 timeline is “a little too soon,”
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