Nova Scotia schools reopen today, but teachers union worries about COVID-19 safety
Global News
Nova Scotia Teachers Union president Paul Wozney says the government hasn't done enough to ensure students and staff are protected from COVID-19.
Nova Scotia became the first province in Atlantic Canada today to reopen its schools to in-person learning.
Students in about 400 public schools across the province had been learning remotely since Jan. 10 because of the threat to public safety posed by the Omicron variant of the novel coronavirus.
Nova Scotia Teachers Union president Paul Wozney said today in an interview that the government hasn’t done enough to ensure students and staff are protected from COVID-19, especially considering officials will not conduct contact tracing in schools.
Wozney says some of his members are being asked to report to work even if they are positive for COVID-19 but aren’t feeling symptoms.
He says the union’s main concern is that reopened schools could lead to a surge in COVID-19 cases.
Wozney says schools are particularly vulnerable to outbreaks because children are the least vaccinated group in the province.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 17, 2022.