TORONTO, Aug. 3, 2021 /CNW/ - With only one month left
until schools reopen in Ontario,
the Registered Nurses' Association of Ontario (RNAO) is pleased the provincial
government's plan includes mandatory indoor masking for students in
grades one through 12 and improving ventilation systems. These
measures meet some of RNAO's long-standing recommendations to
Premier Ford, including those in the association's July 28 open letter. "The measures are essential
to minimize the impact of a fourth wave of COVID-19 as Ontario opens school doors to students and
staff," says RNAO CEO Dr. Doris
Grinspun.
"Although RNAO is pleased to see a paragraph dedicated to
vaccination in the government's plan, it's just that – a
paragraph," says Grinspun, adding that "given how effective
vaccines are in the face of the highly transmissible Delta variant
and the emerging Lambda variant, nurses will continue to insist on
mandatory vaccination for all educational staff (and health-care
workers), unless they have a medical exemption." RNAO joins
Ontario's Chief Medical Officer of
Health Dr. Kieran Moore in urging
school boards to work with public health units to promote
vaccination uptake, and "we will support the move if school boards
(and health-care organizations) make it mandatory," emphasizes
Grinspun.
"The association also stresses the importance of requiring masks
for kindergarten kids, and hopes the government will modify its
strategy to reflect this," says RNAO president Morgan Hoffarth. "The plan also fails to specify
physical distancing requirements in schools other than among
separate cohorts," adds Hoffarth. "While we are delighted music
classes are back, we caution against the resumption of indoor choir
practices given what we know about aerosol transmission of the
virus."
The government plan does outline ongoing mental health support
for students but provides no concrete plan for this to be achieved.
We call on Dr. Moore to permanently employ the 625 public health
nurse positions across Ontario
schools, as well as the additional 50 community wellness nurses to
serve First Nations communities.
Nurses join students and parents in celebrating a
back-to-the-classroom September, but additional measures are
necessary to ensure a safe return for staff, students and their
families to keep the learning experience positive amid an ongoing
pandemic.
The Registered Nurses' Association of Ontario (RNAO) is the professional association
representing registered nurses, nurse practitioners, and nursing
students in Ontario. Since 1925,
RNAO has advocated for healthy public policy, promoted excellence
in nursing practice, increased nurses' contribution to shaping the
health system, and influenced decisions that affect nurses and the
public they serve. For more information about RNAO,
visit RNAO.ca or follow us
on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
SOURCE Registered Nurses' Association of Ontario