Point Edward, ON – The recent provincial announcement to return to school for in-class learning is a welcomed step forward in Lambton County. Lambton Public Health supports this transition and reminds the community that we all have role to play to make it sustainable.
“Opening schools is critical for the development of children and the wellbeing of families,” says Dr. Ranade, Medical Officer of Health for the County of Lambton. “It will require collective efforts of everyone to ensure the health of the school community for students, parents and staff.”
We all have role to play:
- Parents will continue to monitor their child for COVID-19 symptoms and communicate with their school. Parents should access provincial screening tools and local resources to help guide their safe access to school, each and every day.
- School staff will continue to support conversations with families and implement the recommended guidance where it is practical and feasible.
- Lambton Public Health will continue to work with stakeholders to support testing and contact tracing to limit transmission in a school setting.
- Community focus is essential to limit the spread of COVID-19 outside of schools by following current restrictions in place and public health measures. Less cases in the community will also reduce outbreaks in other settings such as schools.
The school setting has a number of control measures in place to reduce the spread of COVID-19. It’s important to have these working together collectively to create a safer school environment. Some measures are more practical than others and everyone involved will be doing their best to support them. Some of the basics will include:
- Daily screening
- Stay home if sick, even with mild symptoms
- Limit contact outside of school to only the people you live with
- Practice physical distancing to reduce contact with others
- Wash hands frequently
- Wear a mask – now includes children in grades 1-3, including outdoors where physical distancing cannot be maintained
We are all in this together so please be patient, kind and understand that each individual situation may be different. Talk with your family and your employer to better understand possible options if your child does get sick or is required to stay home.
To learn more about public health’s COVID-19 response in Lambton County visit https://lambtonpublichealth.ca/COVID19.
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