Friday January 14, 2022
Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Friday January 14, 2022
Ontario students to receive 2 rapid tests as school begins, top doctor’s comments draw fire
January 8, 2022
Ontario students are slated to get two rapid antigen tests when they return to school on Monday, but apart from that, the province is relying mostly on previously announced measures to keep schools safe amid the Omicron wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The province also revealed Wednesday that school officials will monitor absenteeism in classrooms as opposed to reporting individual positive tests.
Officials said parents would be notified when combined student and staff absences hit around 30 per cent, prompting concerns that parents would be left in the dark about their child’s school’s status until it reached that threshold.
By Wednesday evening, the province appeared to say it would provide parents with more specific data about absenteeism.