Nova Scotia parents should have a home-isolation plan in place in case COVID-19 breaks out at their children’s school, officials said Tuesday.
Under public health protocols announced at a news briefing in Halifax, all close contacts of the infected person will be immediately tested and they will have to self-isolate for 14 days even if their COVID test turns out negative.
Close contacts may include everyone in the class, school bus, or before- and afterschool programs.
If a close contact tests positive for COVID, they will continue their isolation under public health guidelines.
“So teachers and parents and students should now be thinking about having a plan in the possibility that they may be at home for 14 days,” said Dr. Robert Strang, the province’s chief medical officer of health.
Besides the close contacts, the investigation will consider those in moderate and lowrisk categories, Strang said at the briefing with Education Minister Zach Churchill.
A person is considered at moderate risk if there has not been prolonged contact and they have maintained two metres or six feet from the confirmed case.
This would include all students and staff in a shared space who were able to physically distance.
And somebody would be at low risk if they have had limited or casual contact with a confirmed case. This could be incidental contact such as walking past or near the individual in a hallway or other common area.
The same public health investigation approach that would be used in other settings, such as a business, would be applied to a classroom or school, said Strang, who added he fully expects there will be COVID cases in schools.
“Once we have a case, we assess who the case was, who might have been around them and what type of exposure happened, and then we put them into categories of contact and then our public health measures such as testing and isolation and requiring them to be quarantined for 14 days are determined by (that exposure level).”
All families at the school will be notified about the exposure and measures being taken.
It's possible that the entire school would be shut down but only if all staff and students are considered to be at risk, Strang said.
Churchill acknowledged many parents are anxious about sending their children back to school on Sept. 8.
Although COVID cases will be inevitable at schools, Churchill said he's confident the levels can be controlled if schools and families take the proper steps such as handwashing, social distancing when possible and wearing masks.
“I want to reaffirm to everybody who's nervous about this,” he said. “We've put a lot of thought into this, we've worked with pediatricians, some of the best pediatricians in the country, we've worked with Dr. Strang and his officials at public health. We've worked with our union partners ... to come up with a plan that allows us to get all of our kids back to school and do so in a way that is relatively safe.”
Opposition critics said the province's plan doesn't adequately address the pressures that school-related COVID will put on families.
“For this education reopening plan to work, parents are going to have to take leave from work to care for children who need a COVID-19 test,” said NDP Leader Gary Burrill in a news release. “Unfortunately, a huge number of parents do not have access to paid sick leave, forcing them to choose between following public health guidance and being able to afford rent and groceries.
“Families should not be put in the predicament of losing pay because their children need to be tested. The Liberal government must bring forward a plan for paid sick leave for every working person in Nova Scotia.”
Progressive Conservative Leader Tim Houston welcomed the clarification on public health's response plan but he said the province should not have waited until a week before school to provide those details.
“The number one question the PC caucus office has at this time is whether Public Health is ready for this influx of calls, investigations and testing,” Houston said in a news release.
“We have already heard about numerous delays with the 811 system, and we would like the Liberal government to immediately address this issue.”
Other steps announced Tuesday related to schools and COVID:
• Attendance rules will be relaxed so that no student is penalized for absences due to illness this year.
• Modified guidelines are in place to support the delivery of music class, band and physical education.
• Families with children with special needs will continue to be supported. "A new inclusive education policy announced last September will come into effect and the backto-school plan ensures that students can access the support they need, where they need it, while observing COVID-19 safe practices."
• Nova Scotia preprimary program will be fully implemented, including busing for eligible students.
• More students will become eligible to ride the school bus as the student transportation policy comes into effect with new eligibility criteria.
