According to the Canadian Press, Ontario is delaying the start of school due to a new pandemic high of over 13,000 infections. Dr. Kieran Moore to host a press conference at 3 p.m. ET. The resumption of school in Ontario will be postponed until Wednesday, January 5, according to The Canadian Press, citing a senior government source.
In many parts of the province, classes were set to begin as early as Monday, but critics demanded more clarity on the back-to-school strategy in light of the COVID-19 outbreak. According to The Canadian Press, the province will supply 3,000 extra HEPA filter units to school boards, in addition to the 70,000 it has previously distributed, as well as N95 masks to teachers.
CBC News has inquired several times with Ontario Education Minister Stephen Lecce’s office about when an announcement will be made but has yet to get a response. CBC News also inquired for N95 masks for teachers but received no response.
According to the Canadian Press, effective Friday, seating occupancy in event venues, arenas, and theatres would be limited to lower of either 1,000 people or 50% occupancy.
On Thursday, Ontario recorded a pandemic high of 13,807 new COVID-19 cases, greatly exceeding the previous high established on Wednesday and before a scheduled declaration by the province’s chief medical officer of health.
Many public health departments in Ontario have maxed their diagnostic capacity, according to infectious disease experts; therefore, the true number of new cases is likely significantly greater than those reported each day.
Source: CBC News
