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
NDP motion regarding Palestinian statehood passes after major Liberal alterations
A motion from the federal New Democrats initially calling on Canada to recognize the 'State of Palestine' passed amid widespread acrimony on Monday, after the Liberals drastically altered its wording to see the government simply work towards that aim as part of a two-state solution.
'He didn't want to die': Family of Calgary man killed in standoff speaks out
Family of a Calgary man killed after a 30-hour standoff with police last week are speaking out, sharing details of the tense and heart-wrenching experience.
Toronto family doctor who called patient's body 'perfect' suspended for 3 months: tribunal
A family doctor in Toronto has been suspended for three months after a disciplinary tribunal found that he failed to follow proper protocols while examining a patient's breasts and made inappropriate comments about her body.
Ohio mom who left toddler alone 10 days when she went on vacation pleads guilty to aggravated murder
An Ohio mother whose 16-month-old daughter died after being left home alone in a playpen for 10 days last summer while she went on vacation was sentenced Monday to life in prison with no chance of parole.
Retired teacher pleads guilty to paying for sex with 15-year-old in Collingwood, Ont.
In a Barrie courtroom on Monday, a retired high school teacher from the Niagara Region pleaded guilty to sexual touching and obtaining sexual services from a 15-year-old boy in Collingwood in 2021.
Hertz CEO out following electric car 'horror show'
The company, which announced in January it was selling 20,000 of the electric vehicles in its fleet, or about a third of the EVs it owned, is now replacing the CEO who helped build up that fleet, giving it the company’s fifth boss in just four years.
5 charged in Calgary kidnappings that targeted women
Calgary police have charged five men in a pair of kidnappings last year that targeted innocent victims.
Demand soars for solar eclipse glasses in Canada. Are they worth buying?
The demand for total solar eclipse glasses used to safely view the rare celestial event has been ramping up as sellers, along with astronomy and eye-care experts in Canada, warn that viewing the eclipse with the naked eye is dangerous.
Canadian commander of volunteer fighter group dies in Ukraine
A Canadian-born commander of the so-called Norman Brigade, a volunteer fighting group in Ukraine, has died.