In response to Saskatchewan’s record high COVID-19 cases the Chinook School Division is requiring students and staff to wear masks in all indoor areas of school effective Friday, September 17.
In an update made to their Return to School Plan, Chinook has mandated the new masking policy in response to Chinook schools seeing an increasing number of COVID-19 cases at a rate beyond what they experienced last year. They also point to the growing impact of COVID-19 cases on school aged students. They note that as of September 15, nearly 22 per cent (104) of the 475 record high new cases in Saskatchewan were in students aged 11 and under.
“According to our Medical Health Officer, cases in schools reflect COVID activity in the community. The Medical Health Officer has warned that the Delta variant is much more contagious and severe, and this variant will continue to surge. He is also very concerned with the low student vaccination rates in Chinook schools. Our local area physicians have also recently recommended to the Chinook Board that they increase protective measures in schools. The local physicians and MHO strongly recommend mask wearing for all students and staff as an important protective measure in limiting transmission in school,” a letter from the Chinook School Division states.
Additional details on the updated plan can be found at www.chinooksd.ca.
