COVID-19 close contact identification protocols changing in Manitoba schools
Public health and Manitoba education officials are changing protocols for how close contacts to COVID-19 cases in schools are identified and managed.
The government said the changes are being put in place to "address the impact of remote learning and self-isolation on the safety and mental and physical health of students."
Moving forward, health officials will consider several factors when determining isolation requirements, such as vaccination status and the use of masks.
Dana Rudy, the deputy minister of Manitoba Education, said data on wearing masks will be tracked to help public health.
"This year, school leaders will be asked to record as part of their data collection whether students or staff were consistently wearing masks during the period of exposure," said Rudy.
She added public health officials will be the ones making the decisions but with more information, they can act quicker and prevent further spread.
Self-isolation for close contacts is also changing as those individuals will now only be required to isolate for 10 days, which is down from the 14-day period. Testing will be recommended on day seven.
"Where there is higher community transmission or outbreaks, the isolation requirements may change to reflect increased risk," the province said.
On top of close contacts and self-isolation changes, there are also changes coming to the definitions of a school case, as well as a school outbreak.
A school case is now classified as a staff member, student or volunteer in Kindergarten to Grade 12 who was at the school during the 14 days before symptoms developed or a positive test date if asymptomatic, as well as within 10 days after symptoms developed, or if there is a positive test date if symptomatic.
Outbreaks will now only be declared if there are at least three school-related cases in a 14-day period of the other cases.
The new definitions will allow for more consistent reporting and if an outbreak is declared, further measures can be put in place, the province said.
Dr. Brent Roussin, the chief provincial public health officer, said these changes are being put in place to help with more consistent reporting, but also to help students and their mental health.
"We also need to look at the long-term effects and decisions we make for (our kids)," said Roussin. "One of the biggest things that we have learned and continue to learn about is the negative effects of the public health orders and isolation, particularly these full lockdowns that we've had in the past, on the mental and physical wellbeing."
Officials said these changes will come into effect on Tuesday.
Rudy was also asked why this new reporting program is being put into place now instead of in the summer so it was ready for when the school year started.
She said the new isolation rules from public health didn't come into play until Sept. 13.
"We had the opportunity to engage with our stakeholders and meet with individuals to really ensure we understood exactly how to implement it in a successful way, so we took the extra time," said Rudy.
James Bedford , president of the Manitoba Teachers’ Society said it's good to have clear definitions early on in the school year, since the province struggled last year with data and information.
"I saw this as a bit of a recognition that the province, public health, had to be very, very clear going into this school year about how they are going to define things," he said.
Bedford added while the school outbreak definition is clearer, it still involves a certain amount of data collection that has to be done accurately and in a timely fashion.
"We raised these concerns last year and the concern is still valid this year that they are putting an awful lot of responsibility onto the shoulders of school principals who are going to be tasked with the front line data collection and then working to transmit that information to public health."
Bedford said The Manitoba Teachers’ Society is in conversation with the province about what the expectation is for principals, and he expects those talks to happen throughout the school year.
- With files from CTV's Michelle Gerwing.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'A beautiful soul': Funeral held for baby boy killed in wrong-way crash on Highway 401
A funeral was held on Wednesday for a three-month-old boy who died after being involved in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 in Whitby last week.
'Sophisticated' cyberattacks detected on B.C. government networks, premier says
There has been a "sophisticated" cybersecurity breach detected on B.C. government networks, Premier David Eby confirmed Wednesday evening.
Police handcuff man trying to enter Drake's Toronto mansion
Toronto police say a man was taken into custody outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion Wednesday afternoon after he tried to gain access to the residence.
Biden says he will stop sending bombs and artillery shells to Israel if they launch major invasion of Rafah
U.S. President Joe Biden said for the first time Wednesday he would halt shipments of American weapons to Israel, which he acknowledged have been used to kill civilians in Gaza, if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu orders a major invasion of the city of Rafah.
Canucks beat Oilers 5-4 in comeback to take Game 1
The Vancouver Canucks won the first game of their NHL playoffs series with the Edmonton Oilers 5-4 on Wednesday night coming back from a three-goal deficit.
Nijjar murder suspect says he had Canadian study permit in immigration firm's video
One of the Indian nationals accused of murdering British Columbia Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar says in a social media video that he received a Canadian study permit with the help of an Indian immigration consultancy.
Pfizer agrees to settle more than 10K lawsuits over Zantac cancer risk: Bloomberg News
Pfizer has agreed to settle more than 10,000 lawsuits about cancer risks related to the now discontinued heartburn drug Zantac, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the deal.
Quebec premier defends new museum on Quebecois nation after Indigenous criticism
Quebec Premier Francois Legault is defending his comments about a new history museum after he was accused by a prominent First Nations group of trying to erase their history.
U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. had a brain worm, has recovered, campaign says
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his brain more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.