Mixed reaction from Saskatchewan teachers over health orders ending

Come March 1, schools in Saskatchewan will start looking a lot more like they did two years ago, with students and staff no longer required by provincial mandate to wear masks indoors.

All of Saskatchewan’s public health orders are expected to be removed by then. Patrick Maze, president of the Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation (STF), said there has been a mixed reaction from teachers to Tuesday’s news that the rules were changing.

Maze explained some are tired of the restrictions and will be glad to no longer have the extra work that comes with restrictions like enforcing mask use and, previously, contact tracing.

“I think some will be a bit relieved but at the same point there’s also heightened concern from some members in that they feel that it makes schools less safe (and) makes it more difficult to know what case counts are in a school community,” Maze said Wednesday.

The emails Maze has been getting are more on the concerned side, including about how much information teachers now have to make their decisions, given that information like the new case count is only being posted once a week.

“It’s a gamble that Scott Moe has taken and hopefully it works out for him. You know it didn’t work out in the fourth wave when there was a gamble and we were transporting patients out of province, but hopefully it works out and we’re able to keep our schools up and running,” said Maze.

When asked over the past two weeks, the province’s chief medical health officer, Dr. Saqib Shahab, has said weekly averages are more helpful in making decisions because daily numbers can fluctuate for different reasons.

Maze also said this is another situation where school divisions are getting mixed messages from the provincial government.

Through much of the pandemic, the government has left many things up to the divisions themselves, saying they’re in a better position to make decisions such as whether to open or close classrooms or whether to implement a vaccine or test policy for staff.

But Maze said the decision is being taken away and divisions are being told they will not be able to require masks after the mandate comes down.

“And now government is telling them, ‘No, you can’t have any measures that are more restrictive than what the government has in place,’ ” said Maze.

None of the school divisions contacted by 980 CJME were prepared to talk about the mandates coming down, each saying it was trying to get more clarity from government as its board figures out next steps.

Maze also criticized how it appeared to him that mandate decisions were being made, saying that just because the population might be tired of COVID doesn’t mean it’s over.

“Trust the experts in health and in science to make recommendations and base decisions on that rather than just the fact that people in general in Saskatchewan seem kind of tired of keeping up with all of the health measures,” said Maze.

Maze said good leadership should be able to inspire people to push through COVID fatigue instead of just settling and saying people can put their guard down.

On Tuesday, in announcing the forthcoming changes to mandates, Premier Scott Moe said his goal was to provide access to community facilities, restaurants and schools like before the pandemic started.

“Access, for example, for all our teachers and our students to attend school and all of the staff that are in our schools without providing proof of vaccination (or) proof of negative test,” said Moe.

Shahab said schools are an important sector and in-person learning is important with appropriate provisions. He pointed to the United Kingdom, where Shahab said they’re through the Omicron wave and masks are not required but rapid tests are encouraged.

“If there’s a local increase in transmission in a part of the U.K., there’s more mask use and if the transmission goes down, there’s less,” said Shahab.

That’s the way Shahab said the province’s schools will likely have to navigate in March.

“Some parents may choose to have their children continue to use masks, others not so much,” he said.

Discussions between government and school divisions are ongoing and will continue, according to Shahab.

“I think it is important for school divisions and for parents to start thinking ahead and for teachers, about how March will look and feel, and be able to choose to wear a mask or not wear a mask,” said Shahab.

The doctor pointed out there has been very little illness or absenteeism — in staff or students — reported in schools since the Omicron wave peaked.

“I think that will lend confidence to moving ahead without a mandatory mask policy in schools as well,” said Shahab.