As parents and students prepare for back to school, the provincial government announced how they prepare for a safe return to schools on Friday, August 13.
Along with a new back-to-school tool kit and continued daily symptom screening for students, the province also announced temporary vaccination clinics in schools for students in grades 7 through 12--with parental consent.
“We know the public health measures that were necessary last year to control COVID-19, including the temporary closure of schools to in-person learning, quarantine of entire classes, and cancelling extracurricular events, have been associated with a deterioration in the mental health of children and youth,” said Alberta’s Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Deena Hinshaw during the update.
Dr. Hinshaw noted the province has been monitoring the ongoing COVID-19 situation closely in both the United States and United Kingdom, which are both dealing with the Delta variant. Although children under 15 have, so far, had the lowest risks of severe outcomes from COVID-19, Dr. Hinshaw noted hospitalizations in this demographic are on the rise in the U.S.--particularly in areas with low immunization rates.
Dr. Hinshaw encouraged all eligible Albertans to book an appointment to receive their COVID-19 vaccine and announced the vaccine will be available through temporary in-school clinics beginning on Tuesday, September 7. These clinics will be available to students in Grades 7 to 12 only, with parental consent, along with teachers and school staff.
Students and staff will need to continue with daily symptom checks, and students or staff with any of the core COVID-19 symptoms--such as fever, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, loss of taste or smell--are required to isolate for 10 days from the onset of symptoms, or until a negative COVID-19 test is received.
Along with the back-to-school announcement, Dr. Hinshaw also announced health measures surrounding mandatory masking on public transit, taxis, and ride shares and the mandatory isolation period would be extended until Monday, September 27. These measures were scheduled to be eased on Monday, August 16, however based on new data from Alberta, the U.S. and U.K., the decision was made to extend the timeline to give additional time to monitor the emerging situation.
“It’s important we move forward with decisions based on the best evidence and appropriate caution,” said Minister of Health Tyler Shandro.