EDMONTON — Edmonton public school trustees have voted to urge the state to reinstate mask mandates if schools are in an outbreak for respiratory illness.
At its board meeting on Tuesday, the Trustees unanimously approved a motion to meet with Alberta’s Chief Medical Officer Dr. Mark Joffe, Prime Minister Daniel Smith and Minister of Education Adriana Lagrange. The Trustees will also seek guidance from Joffe on when to implement additional health measures.
Board Chair Trisha Estabrooks said health officials and state governments have shown a lack of leadership amid high cases of COVID-19, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and influenza.
“The board and department in this case are put in this position to make decisions that, frankly, we don’t have. jurisdiction Or no expertise,” she told CBC News.
Smith said he wouldn’t do it again permission Masking for students in kindergarten through 12th grade.
“The negative effects of masking on children’s mental health, development and education in the classroom are well understood and we must turn the page with parents and teachers to understand what has been a very difficult time for children. I will not,” she said in an Oct. 29 statement.
Her comments came after an Alberta judge ruled that February’s order to lift masking requirements in schools was “unreasonable” because it was made by the Cabinet, not the state’s chief medical and health officer. dropped the
Smith directed Alberta’s Minister of Justice Tyler Shandro to consider whether to appeal.
On Wednesday, B.C. Chief Medical and Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry ruled out re-implementing the “heavy hand” of mask mandates. I said you should use
B.C. Health Minister Adrian Dix said Tuesday that his government has no plans for another mandatory mask mandate, but that it would be recommended in case of illness.
Ontario has also been hit by a wave of influenza, COVID-19, and RSV, with cases filling every pediatric ICU bed in the province. Ontario’s chief medical health officer, Dr Kieran Moore, encouraged people to wear masks indoors on Monday.
Moore previously said he would recommend wearing masks in certain indoor environments if hospitals began canceling surgeries in response to the surge.
But on Wednesday, Ontario’s Health Minister Sylvia Jones told reporters it was a personal decision to wear a mask.
“Individual choice matters here, and we shouldn’t judge people who wear masks and those who don’t,” she said while wearing a mask. “We all make individual choices.” will do.”
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Rachel Emmanuel is in charge of federal and Alberta politics.