Editor:
According to provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry - whom I personally admire very much - the reason that there has been no mask mandate for schools is that the risk of the spread of COVID-19 in schools is very low. However, given the recent regulation that masks need to be worn when in public places such as shopping malls, apartment building corridors, and grocery stores, it seems inconceivable that this regulation does not extend to schools.
Protocols that protect the general public do not seem to be needed in schools. Density requirements? Not necessary in a school. Gathering size limits? Not necessary in a school.
As president of the New Westminster Teachers’ Union, I receive each and every school COVID-19 exposure letter.
Each time one is emailed to me, I feel sick inside. Has one of my colleagues been exposed? Are children sick? Are there immune-compromised people at home that could be in danger because of this?
I worry about my members and the young people they teach. I worry about our community members – my neighbours, colleagues, and friends. I also worry that these letters often come with a considerable time lag, which means that the two-week isolation period may be at the tail end when the school community is notified of an exposure.
I understand that the number of COVID-19 cases in the Fraser Health Authority is skyrocketing, but the fact that you may receive a notice of exposure 12 days after seems to be ridiculous to me.
I know that our senior management team and school administrators have worked hard to put protocols in place to keep our schools as safe as possible. I know that our district custodians are working hard to make certain our buildings are as clean as possible, to help stop the spread of COVID-19.
I want to see, however, either Henry, or the chief medical officer of the Fraser Health Authority, mandate mask-wearing in schools for everyone over the age of twelve who is medically able to do so.
It seems to me that educators, support staff, and students deserve just as much protection as grocery store clerks and Starbucks baristas.
Sarah Wethered, New Westminster
