Manitoba parent concerned over lack of contact tracing
As students return to Manitoba classrooms Monday, one mom is raising concerns over the lack of contract tracing.
On Jan. 11, the province announced schools will no longer provide close contact notification or information on individual COVID-19 cases. Instead, schools will monitor absenteeism rates and self-reported cases.
READ MORE: Manitoba schools to no longer provide notification of COVID-19 close contacts
"It's just kind of scary because before at least, you would be informed - okay, there's a case in the school, it's not in my child's cohort. I can decide what to do,” said parent Andrea Clarke. “Now it's just wide open."
Clarke is concerned case numbers are going to skyrocket and feels the return to classrooms is happening without the right measures in place.
"I just feel like there's a lack of foresight in thinking about consequences for families on the province's part. (It) puts schools, parents, families in a really awkward position," said Clarke.
Clarke said she is not confident sending her child to school, but it is not only the safety of her son that she has to worry about.
Clarke is 40 years old and pregnant. Her husband has cystic fibrosis and they all live with her aging mother.
“We’re all high risk, and it’s just the same for other families in the same boat similar to like mine,” said Clarke.
“You’re saying you are just going to roll the dice with your family’s safety and that’s that.”
In a statement, Education Minister Cliff Cullen said, "Students learn best in the classroom, the benefits can't be understated - from mental and physical health to socialization and support for families.”
It is sentiment Clarke agrees with in principle, but wishes there was another way. She said possible alternatives could include extending remote learning until COVID-19 case numbers start to drop, COVID-19 boosters for more students and continuing with contact tracing so parents could make better-informed decisions.
Cullen said layers of protection are in place in classrooms to reduce the spread of the virus as kids return to in-person learning.
He listed rapid testing programs for asymptomatic teachers, staff and students, the distribution of millions of masks and ventilation improvements.
Clarke wonders why increased funding for continued contact tracing was not included.
“The hospitals are so full. What’s going to happen when you send all these kids back to school and now you’ve got double that amount in a week needing hospital,” said Clarke. “It just seems crazy right now to go straight back in.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Several flight attendants from Pakistan have gone missing after landing in Canada
Multiple flight attendants from Pakistan International Airlines have abandoned their jobs and are believed to have sought asylum in Canada in the past year and a half, a spokesperson for the government-owned airline says.
BREAKING Ottawa public school board, 3 Toronto-area school boards launch lawsuit against social media giants
The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board and three school boards in the Toronto-area have launched legal action against social media giants, accusing them of "disrupting students' fundamental right to education."
Rainfall warnings of up to 90 mm among weather alerts in effect for 7 provinces
Rainfall warnings of up to 90 millimetres, air quality advisories and other alerts have been issued for seven Canadian provinces, according to the latest forecasts.
Tipping is off the table at this Toronto restaurant
A Toronto restaurant introduced a surprising new rule that reduced the cost of a meal and raised the salaries of staff.
A Nigerian woman reviewed some tomato puree online. Now she faces jail
A Nigerian woman who wrote an online review of a can of tomato puree is facing imprisonment after its manufacturer accused her of making a “malicious allegation” that damaged its business.
Donald Trump assails judge and his daughter after gag order in N.Y. hush-money criminal case
Donald Trump lashed out Wednesday at the New York judge who put him under a gag order that bars him from commenting publicly about witnesses, prosecutors, court staff and jurors in his upcoming hush-money criminal trial.
A fight to protect the dignity of Michelangelo's David raises questions about freedom of expression
Michelangelo's David has been a towering figure in Italian culture since its completion in 1504. But in the current era of the quick buck, curators worry the marble statue's religious and political significance is being diminished.
Doctors visiting a Gaza hospital are stunned by the war's toll on Palestinian children
An international team of doctors visiting a hospital in central Gaza was prepared for the worst. But the gruesome impact Israel’s war against Hamas is having on Palestinian children still left them stunned.
China's latest EV is a 'connected' car from smart phone and electronics maker Xiaomi
Xiaomi, a well-known maker of smart consumer electronics in China, is joining the country's booming but crowded market for electric cars.