STF calls on government to reinstate public health measures in schools

The Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation wants the provincial government to learn a lesson from the latest wastewater data.

One day after the University of Saskatchewan’s latest data showed a 742 per cent increase in viral loads in Saskatoon from the previous week, the teachers’ union called for the government to reinstate COVID-19 public health measures in schools.

“Saskatchewan educators want to be in schools along with their students, teaching and learning in a safe environment. These new wastewater results are alarming and need to be taken seriously,” STF president Patrick Maze said in a media release.

“This government has a responsibility to keep students, staff and the greater community safe. Our health system is over capacity and health-care workers are stressed. We need to ensure that those who are ill receive the assistance they need in a timely way.

“By reintroducing these basic and minimal health measures, fewer people will require hospitalization and schools can continue to operate safely.”

The wastewater study also showed increases of 250 per cent in North Battleford and 56 per cent in Prince Albert from the previous week.

That prompted the STF to call for:

• Mandatory masks in schools, on school buses and for extracurricular activities;
• Isolation requirements for those who test positive and are close contacts;
• Increased transparency and data sharing with schools on COVID-19 cases;
• Increased reporting on cases to the public, so parents can make informed decisions and exercise personal responsibility;
• Access to PCR testing for teachers and all student-facing school staff; and,
• Reconvening of the Education Sector Response Planning Team to ensure successful and consistent implementation of measures.

In late January, the provincial government changed the self-isolation requirements for close contacts of COVID cases. In early February, the government went from daily COVID updates to once-weekly reports.

PCR testing in the province currently is limited to priority populations, including people with chronic illnesses and health-care workers.

“Students have already sacrificed so much. It is time to prioritize and protect their needs,” Maze said. “We cannot wish COVID-19 away. Learning to live with COVID-19 must mean learning to take appropriate and reasonable measures when the situation calls for them.

“The government’s decisions have left us with very limited data available to assess the risk in our communities. Absenteeism is unusually high for teaching staff and students, and there is a lack of available substitute teachers.”

The STF said if the government didn’t restore the public health measures, the union would ask school divisions to “exercise their authority” and make decisions to help protect students from COVID.