UPDATED: Mask-Use Part Of N.B. Back-To-School Plan

Face masks will still be required in some cases when New Brunswick students return to school in September.

Education Minister Dominic Cardy unveiled the province’s back-to-school guidelines on Friday morning.

As was to be expected, school and district staff will be required to be vaccinated or undergo regular testing.

Cardy said they need to protect those who cannot yet get vaccinated, such as students under the age of 12.

“We know that some older students, students of all ages, staff as well who are immunocompromised cannot get vaccinated. We need to protect them,” said Cardy.

Classroom bubbles for kindergarten to grade 8 students have been eliminated and high school students are returning to full-time, in-person learning.

But measures that remain will vary by grade level and depend on the make-up of grade levels in a particular school.

Kindergarten to Grade 8

Students and staff in schools welcoming K-8 students will still have to wear masks in indoor common areas.

Assemblies and concerts will be conducted virtually while community use of schools will be limited.

Activities and learning are encouraged to be held outdoors when the weather permits.

Students will regularly disinfect desks and other commonly touched surfaces.

Visitors will be limited in schools, by appointment only, and will wear masks inside the school.

Grade 9 to 12

Masks will be required in common indoor areas and during small assemblies until 90 per cent of people aged 12 to 19 in their health zone are fully vaccinated.

Restrictions on community use of schools will also be lifted at that time.

For high schools that also have students under the age of 12, mask-wearing in common areas will continue and community use of school will continue to be limited to youth-based activities.

Activities and learning are encouraged to be held outdoors when the weather permits.

Students will regularly disinfect desks and other commonly touched surfaces.

Visitors will be limited in schools, by appointment only, and will wear masks inside the school.

Right now, the number of people aged 12 to 19 who are fully vaccinated is around 50 per cent in most health regions, according to Cardy.

School buses

Everyone travelling on a school bus will be required to wear a mask, except for a bus driver when driving or if the curtains are deployed.

Students will be encouraged to sit in the same seats and with the same students as much as possible.

Ventilation

Fans will not be allowed in classrooms. School staff will only be allowed to use them if they are alone in a classroom or office.

If the outdoor temperature or humidex value is 36 degrees or above, students will be learning from home.

Managing outbreaks

When a COVID-19 case is confirmed within a school, students will transition to home learning for at least one calendar day to allow for contact tracing and a risk assessment.

Schools must be prepared to transition to at-home learning, restrict extracurricular, sports or music activities, or bubble classrooms under advice from Public Health in the event of an outbreak.

“There will continue to be cases in schools as we learn to live with COVID-19, and we need the help of all New Brunswickers in supporting healthy and safe schools,” said Cardy.

COVID-19 impacts during last school year

Reflecting on the last school year, Cardy said 50 schools were affected by about 100 confirmed cases of the virus.

But students across the entire province only lost a total of 28 days of learning, he said.

“One day here in one school, a couple of days in another school. An exceptional record, again, is a testimony to the hard work that everyone put in to keep our schools safe,” said Cardy.

Vaccinating younger students

Dr. Cristin Muecke, the province’s deputy chief medical officer of health, said the province is now examining plans to vaccinate children younger than 12.

“We are also watching what’s going on in other jurisdictions. This is something that is actively under consideration and will be looked at in the coming days,” said Muecke.

Ontario and Manitoba are now providing vaccinations to 11-year-olds who will turn 12 by the end of this year.

Anyone born on or before Dec. 31, 2009, is eligible for Pfizer shots in those provinces.

With files from Allan Dearing.