Kids gearing up for March Break will be even more excited, but parents may be left scrambling, after the province announced Thursday schools would remain closed for two weeks after the already-scheduled week off.
Premier Doug Ford, Christine Elliott, deputy premier and minister of health, and Stephen Lecce, minister of education, announced that publicly funded schools in the province will remain closed for two weeks following the March Break vacation due to the impact of coronavirus (COVID-19).
That means kids will be out of school from March 16 to April 5.
Lecce issued a ministerial order to close all schools following the March Break, a move quickly was approved by the lieutenant governor.
In a statement, the trio said they are taking this action based on the advice from Dr. David Williams, the province’s chief medical officer.
“We recognize the significant impact this decision will have on families, students, schools, as well as the broader community, but this precaution is necessary to keep people safe,” reads a release issued late Thursday afternoon. “Today’s steps build on a number of actions our government has taken in recent days to respond to COVID-19.”
Additional public health measures will be put in place in response to these new actions. These include enhanced access to screening, expanding lab-testing capacity, and implementing new initiatives to keep the public and frontline workers safe.
The government is also looking closely at the safety of those who work in other public institutions and buildings and will have the COVID-19 command table prepare to respond if needed.
