New health guidelines let mildly symptomatic child care staff attend work

WINNIPEG -

New isolation guidelines made by the province to address the surge in COVID-19 cases caused by the Omicron variant are drawing criticism from the child care sector.

On Friday, a memo was sent to the early learning and child care sector with new guidelines surrounding COVID-19 symptoms.

The new rules allow staff who are symptomatic to self-screen and return to work if they meet all the criteria, which is:

Staff need one negative COVID test from a provincial testing site/health facility testing location, or two negative self-administered rapid COVID-19 tests taken 24 hours apart.

Staff must have mild and improving symptoms as outlined in the online screening tool, and must be rid of fever for at least 24 hours without any use of fever-reducing medication.

Tara Mills, executive director of Morris Early Learning Centres, said the new rules conflict with their current sick policies.

"If you're sick, don't come to work. We're also asking parents if you're child is sick, please don't send them," said Mills. "So now I potentially have ill staff coming to work that therefore make the children ill."

The new guidelines apply to more than just the child care sector. Community living disability services, child and family services, and homeless and family violence shelters have also been included in the new rules.

Mills worries about her centre because it's an infant and preschool program.

"None of those children are eligible to be vaccinated. So no centre wants to be the root of a child ending up in the hospital or the ICU, or worse," she said.

The new guidelines came on the same day the province lowered isolation requirements from ten days to five for people who test positive.

Jodie Kehl, executive director of the Manitoba Child Care Association, said she understands it's critical for families to have access to childcare, but it's also important that Early Childhood Educators are protected.

"We would be calling on the province to be providing the N-95 masks as well as an ample supply of the rapid tests so that they can actually continue to provide that high licensed quality child care program," said Kehl.

In the memo outlining the new guidelines, the province said in part:

"If staff experience new or worsening symptoms they must notify their employer immediately and seek testing as per guidelines. They must follow direction from Public Health and/or self-isolate until they have received a negative test result and are able to self-declare that they are fit to return to work."

Mills said each child care centre has the authority to decide what their health policies will be, and she's in talks with board members to decide how to proceed.

"To make the best decision without causing too much harm, whether it's financially to families or physically to the children and staff."