TORONTO – Ontario hit a record 550 new cases of Covid-19 among public school students and staff within twenty-four hours, and more than a fifth of all public schools have at least one active case for the first time during this school year. 

The Ministry of Education has specified that 473 students and 61 teachers have tested positive for Covid-19 along with 10 other non-teaching staff members.

There are 1,019 schools with at least one active case of the virus and 28 schools are closed due to outbreaks. At this point in the 2020 school year, there were 889 schools with one active case and 18 were closed educational institutions.

There are more than 2,400 active cases of Covid-19 linked to schools, representing about 20% of all active cases of the virus in Ontario until today.

On Tuesday, across the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA), school boards reported 1,411 active cases of Covid which translates to an increase of about 40% compared to a week ago.

At least 326 classes are isolating themselves at home due to exposures, but this number is likely underestimated as several major school boards, including the TDSB, do not disclose this information.

What is certain is that, since the numbers objectively photograph reality, the situation is not rosy at all. Numerous GTHA parents have written on social media that several school boards have advised them to take home all of their children’s school supplies before the Christmas holidays in case schools don’t reopen in January.

The Peel District School Board, for example, said it asked children to take home Chromebooks and other materials as a precaution. “Given the instability regarding the health situation, only as a precautionary measure, we asked students to take home school-provided devices (e.g. iPad PDSB or Chromebook) and personal belongings in case the Ministry of Education or Peel Public Health ordered us to switch to online learning,” spokesman Malon Edwards told CTV News Toronto.

The Durham District School Board said it had advised parents and pupils to take home everything they need to be able to follow online lessons if necessary. “Although we do not plan a shift to distance learning at the end of the holidays, we want to make sure that all families are prepared,” reads a note sent to parents. Same situation at the Halton District School Board.

The Toronto Catholic District School Board is not aligned with Peel, Durham and Halton’s school boards: “At the moment we have not asked students to take home all the school supplies. We will wait for more information from health officials and determine if a change in the procedure is needed,” a spokesperson told CTV News Toronto.

Since September, 10,093 infections have been identified in schools in the province, while last year, in the same period of time, infections related to the school environment had been 6,356. During the entire duration of the 2020-21 school year, there were 15,292 laboratory-confirmed cases. Since last September – just over three months – the infections have already reached 10,093.