Sask. Medical Association urging masks and vaccines in schools

The Saskatchewan Medical Association is joining the chorus of voices calling for more measures ahead of school starting to stop the spread of COVID-19 in the classroom.

“We want students to return to schools and have a rich learning experience, but schools must be safe for that to happen. The safety of our children is our paramount concern,” said association president Dr. Eben Strydom in a news release.

The association is focusing on rising active case numbers in the province, combined with lower vaccination rates and the fact that children under 12 years of age are in school but aren’t able to get a COVID-19 shot.

The Saskatchewan College of Family Physicians agrees with the association. Both are urging school divisions to consider measures like mandating masks in all public spaces and mandatory vaccines for staff and students, as well as the parents or guardians of students.

They also want mobile vaccine clinics in schools, all sick children and adults to have to stay home and get tested, report cases to people as soon as possible and have close contacts isolate, continue to make sanitizer available and practice hand-washing, maintain social distancing, and clean and test HVAC system regularly to make sure they’re working properly.

Both the Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation and the Saskatchewan NDP has also called for measures like mandatory vaccines, though the NDP kept its call to staff in schools.