Friday to be last day of school in Nova Scotia for 2021 as COVID-19 cases ramp up

Nova Scotia Education Minister Becky Druhan has announced the last day for public school classes this year will be Friday due to the impact of the rising number of COVID-19 cases in the province.

Students had been scheduled to attend in-person classes until next Tuesday. Staff will still be expected to report to work for the two days next week unless they are isolating. Learning centres will also remain open for students who need additional support. 

The decision is an operational one "based on staffing pressure" and wasn't made by Public Health, according to a news release from the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development. It said some schools have already shifted to at-home learning and "a small number of others" are expected to do the same before Friday. 

"In light of the operational impacts stemming from the Omicron variant and the need for close contacts to self-isolate, we have made the decision to modify our school calendar and support those who need it most. Today's decision will provide clarity and certainty to parents, guardians, students and staff," said Druhan in the release. 

The announcement comes following six consecutive days of the province reporting more than 100 new cases, including 178 on Wednesday.

Dozens of schools have been issued exposure notices in recent weeks. The province maintains a list of school exposures here.

On Tuesday, new restrictions affecting schools went into effect. They included limiting sports to team skills training and the cancellation of school assemblies and holiday concerts. 

Further limits on gatherings, physical distancing and masking requirements go into effect Friday morning. Recreation facilities, stores and malls, museums and libraries cannot run at maximum capacity unless physical distancing can be maintained. 

Several universities have suspended in-person exams.

On Monday, the province announced 40 cases of the Omicron variant have been found in Nova Scotia.

The winter break was already extended by two days in January to allow time for more children to get vaccinated, though learning centres at public schools will open on Jan. 4 as originally scheduled. Other students are scheduled to return to the classroom on Jan. 6.