The province is sticking with the plan to have K-12 students return to the classroom on Jan. 10 following a week-long extension of the winter break.
"We all know the impact that being away from the classroom can have on our children's mental health, learning and social interaction," said Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Deena Hinshaw. "We know the COVID infection has a low, but not zero risk of for children. We also know the in-person learning is critically important for many kids' educational and social development and provides a sense of stability and normalcy in these challenging times."
Education Minister Adriana LaGrange left a cabinet committee meeting Dec. 30 to announce the extension. She said it was implemented to allow school officials to plan for a return to school in the midst of the Omicron-driven fifth wave.
In the same announcement last week, LaGrange said the province would distribute 8.6 million rapid test kits and 16.5 medical grade masks to schools. This will be in addition to existing measures, including distancing, masking and enhanced cleaning protocols.
During the Jan. 5 update, Hinshaw confirmed 4,752 new cases of the virus were identified on 12,000 tests in the past 24 hours and 11 new deaths were reported.
The positivity rate currently sits at 36.9 per cent, with 470 individuals in hospital; 72 people are in intensive care.
Hinshaw said the risk of community transmission is at an all-time high and encouraged parents to complete a health assessment on their child daily before school. She also advised rapid tests be completed a few times a week to identify asymptomatic infections.
Alberta's top doctor said she "strongly advises" masks be worn by all students, including those in K-3.
The approach to reporting cases in school will also be changing, Hinshaw said.
Similar to other provinces, the focus has shifted to investigating cases in high-risk settings such as health-care workers and continuing care facilities. Students and staff who test positive will still be notified of their result and their quarantine requirements, she said.
"AHS will no longer have the capacity to do full-case investigations for those non-high risk cases," Hinshaw said. "As a result of this change, and similar to other provinces, Alberta is assessing different options for an approach to school reporting that reflects the current situation."
If needed, school authorities will have the ability to shift a class to temporary remote learning if student or staff absence becomes an issue for effective learning. The move to online learning for an entire school will still be up to the province.
"I believe it is prudent to keep schools open for in-person instruction," Hinshaw said.
Building on funding that was announced to aid in pandemic-related learning disruptions in September, LaGrange said that virtual support is coming for students in later grades.
Free online tutoring resources are also being made available to students in Grades 4 to 9 and their parents beginning next week, LaGrange said.
"The e-tutoring hub will be launched with pre-recorded, video tutoring sessions on literacy and numeracy, that students and their parents can access anytime," she said, adding the program will be expanded with additional subjects and live tutoring later in the year.
