TORONTO – Compared to a month ago, there are more than twice as many active cases of Covid-19 associated with Ontario’s public schools. The Ministry of Education has in fact communicated that with the 178 new cases of Covid-19 confirmed in a 24-hour period, the total number of active infections has reached 1,879. This is an 18% increase week after week and is more than double the number of active infections associated with schools in this period last month: 913. Overall, since the beginning of the school year, there are now 8,280 infections: at this point in the school year in 2020 there were 5,420. 

The good news is that there has been a recent decrease in the number of schools that have switched to distance learning: from 17 on November 26, yesterday they fell to only six. Among these six there is a new entry: since today, on the advice of Toronto Public Health, the Toronto District School Board (TDSB) has temporarily closed the Wilkinson Junior Public School (in the pic). The infections detected in the school located on Donlands Avenue north of Danforth Avenue were 4, three of whom are students.

After all, the Covid epidemics in the school environment continue to accelerate, hand in hand with the increase in cases.

According to the latest data there are now 230 schools with active outbreaks, representing almost five percent of all public schools. This is the highest number of outbreaks in schools at the same time since the peak recorded in April. Then the number of schools with outbreaks peaked – 264 – on April 14, just days before schools switched to distance learning for the second year in a row.

This year, however, health officials despite the uphill cases and the threat posed by the Omicron variant, seem determined to keep schools open especially in light of the approval of Pfizer’s pediatric vaccine for children between the ages of five and 11.

Of the more than 1,800 active cases associated with Ontario’s public schools, about half – 937 – were reported by the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area authorities.

And while Covid goes crazy, children are being tossed around between lessons in schools and distance learning and the future for the third consecutive year seems uncertain, a question and answer is underway between the Minister of Education Stephen Lecce and the president of the Toronto Catholic Elementary Teachers’ Union (TECT) Julie Altomare-Di Nunzio.

“Toronto’s Catholic elementary school students deserve the Christmas celebrations in their schools,” he told The Toronto Star, “students have endured the worst of the pandemic and we must prioritize their mental health and academic success. Nothing should be more important than this.”

In reality, the teachers who are members of the union, who have long been engaged in a white strike, have decided not to take part in “activities such as school assemblies, virtual Christmas concerts, fundraising activities” and so on. “The Christmas celebrations continue in our classrooms – was the dry response of Altomare-Di Nunzio – rather than interfering in local bargaining, Minister Lecce should focus on providing the necessary support so that students can make up for the time lost due to the failure of the Ford government to deal with Covid-19. We do not take this work action lightly, but our teachers have been without a contract since 2019”.