Province moves another 27 schools to remote learning

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This article was published 14/05/2021 (1070 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Rising COVID-19 case counts have led to 27 more schools in southern Manitoba being closed and the highest number of patients in intensive care during the entire pandemic.

All schools in the Garden Valley School Division and the Red River School Division will move to remote learning from Tuesday until at least May 30, Education Minister Cliff Cullen and Dr. Jazz Atwal, deputy chief provincial public health officer, announced Saturday.

“This is an important and critical time in our pandemic response,” Cullen said at his second news conference in less than a week.

“We know schools play an essential role in our children’s education, well-being and mental health, and that health and safety measures implemented by schools have been effective in keeping schools open during the pandemic,” he said. “However, increasing cases of COVID-19 require additional measures to ensure the safety of students and staff.”

Cullen and Atwal said they expect students will be able to return to their schools before the end of the school year, but they wouldn’t rule out other schools in the province having to close if case numbers in their areas begin going up.

Currently, 373 of the province’s 820 schools have students on remote learning, most of them in Winnipeg.

“This wasn’t a knee-jerk reaction,” Atwal said. “We could see the trend that was occurring and the risk that was there.

“We thought we had to do something to break that chain, and this was one mechanism to break that community transmission within those areas, so we had to act on that.”

The 13-school Red River School Division is based in Morris. The 14-school Garden Valley School Division is based in Winkler, an area where there have been anti-mask rallies and even signs on some driveways saying people coming on to the property wearing a mask would be prosecuted.

The number of virus cases in both areas would continue to be monitored and more community restrictions could be imposed if needed, Atwal said.

“Nothing is off the table,” he said.

NDP leader Wab Kinew said Manitoba parents need more information from government and provincial public health officials.

“Are the schools safe, and what steps can our government take to ensure the safety of schools?” he asked.

“I think the vast majority of parents want their kids to be in class in person, as long as it’s safe.”

Kinew was critical about what he saw as another “last-minute announcement” about school closures a week after the province waited until Mother’s Day to announce all students in Winnipeg and Brandon would go to remote learning.

“We shouldn’t be doing things last minute. It shouldn’t always be a rush job. It should be a careful, considered, deliberate plan any time it comes to the safety of our kids,” he said.

Liberal leader Dougald Lamont said he was also concerned about the province’s pending closure of day programs for adults with disabilities, which are funded by Community Living Disability Services.

“We have been calling for vaccinations for people who are vulnerable, and people who care for them, for weeks,” he said.

Health officials announced 430 new cases of COVID-19 and four new deaths on Saturday. There are 4,219 active cases in Manitoba, while 241 are in hospital and 70 are in intensive care — the highest number of ICU cases in the 14 months since the pandemic reached Manitoba.

Of the new cases announced today, 339 cases are in the Winnipeg health region. The four people who died were in their 60s, 80s and 90s. Three of the deaths are linked to the B.1.1.7 variant.

The five-day test positivity rate is 12 per cent in Manitoba, and 14.2 per cent in Winnipeg.

kevin.rollason@freepress.mb.ca