School Reopening Plan
Update: Ontario's provincial government announced on Wednesday, February 3, 2021 that all Halton students will return to in-person classes on Monday, February 8. That story can be read here, will more recent updates than those on this page.
The original story from Thursday, January 28, 2021 follows:
Provincial government announced today, January 28, 2021, that four more regions with falling COVID-19 case numbers in Ontario will be opening schools for in-person classes again on Monday, February 1 next week. But Halton region isn't one of them.
The students who will be returning to class are those in four other Ontario health regions, totalling 280,000 students among them:
- Eastern Ontario Health Unit
- Middlesex-London Health Unit
- Southwestern Public Health
- Ottawa Public Health
The population density of both the cities of London and Ottawa are higher than any area of Halton Region, and Ottawa was in a higher colour zone before lockdowns were imposed in December 2020. All four regions, however, have been reporting fewer new, daily cases than Halton this week.
Stephen Lecce, Minister of Education, issued a statement today in his update on schools resuming in-person learning. He said the decision was made "on the advice of the Chief Medical Officer of Health, with the support of the local Medical Officers of Health, and with the introduction of additional layers of protection."
"The government agrees," Lecce continued, "with the growing consensus in the medical community that returning students to in-person learning is essential to the wellbeing, development and mental health of children."
No timeline is being given for when more health units, including Halton and the surrounding areas, could be allowed to resume in-person learning. The Minister of Education, however, continues Premier Doug Ford's belief that schools remain safe for students.
Said Lecce at the end of today's statement, "According to leading medical and scientific experts, including Ontario's Chief Medical Officer of Health, our province's schools are safe places for learning."
