Teachers' unions ask Ottawa's top doctor to close schools until new safety measures in place
CTV
A joint letter from Ottawa's teachers' unions is asking that medical officer of health Dr. Vera Etches keep schools closed until additional safety measures are put in place to protect staff and students from the Omicron variant of COVID-19.
The letter, dated Dec. 31, was shared on social media. It was written on behalf of the Ottawa Carleton Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario, the Ottawa Carleton Elementary Occasional Teachers' Association, the Ottawa English Catholic Teachers' Association, and "various bargaining units of the Ontario Secondary School Teachers' Federation, District 25."
It asks that Dr. Etches "take matters into (her) own hands and close Ottawa schools to in-person learning" until the following conditions are met:
"With a growing number of cases in our schools, we believe Ottawa needs to close in-person learning until schools are safe. We ask that you please use your authority to order schools to close in-person learning temporarily and switch to virtual learning as the most prudent pathway to ensure consistency and safety for all," the letter says.
The letter notes that while COVID-19 infection in children is typically milder, "we need to remember that long COVID is a real possibility," and adds that children "live in families and communities."