As Ontario breaks record-setting numbers of new COVID-19, Toronto and Peel region are implementing stricter measures to curb the spread of COVID-19 cases in schools.
The Ontario government currently requires children with a runny nose or sore throat to stay home for 24 hours but does not require them to undergo COVID-19 testing to return if their symptoms improve.
Effective December 7 however, Toronto Public Health and Peel Public Health mandates all students with one or more COVID-19 symptoms to stay home and undergo COVID-19 testing.
Toronto Public Health requires that if a student has one COVID-19 symptom, they will now be required to stay home, self-isolate, and undergo COVID-19 testing. And if they with a sibling in the same household, the sibling must also self-isolate regardless of the absence of symptoms. If a child does not receive COVID-19 testing, they must remain home for a duration of 10 days irrespective of improving symptoms.
Similar rules apply in Peel Region - students who have a runny nose or sore throat are recommended to either undergo COVID-19 testing and self-isolate for 10 days or consult with a physician to determine whether there may be a different cause for the symptoms. “This change is necessary to strengthen our safeguards in schools and to protect our community from further spread of COVID-19”, Peel Public Health says, “We know from our local data and experience globally that children are more likely to have mild symptoms than adults.”
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