Students will not be going back to school on January 5th. The Ontario government has announced that all kids in publicly and privately funded schools will be doing remote learning beginning Wednesday until at least January 17th. At that time the provincial government will reassess the situation.
Schools will be allowed to remain open for in-person learning for students with special education needs and for staff who cannot deliver quality online learning at home. Schools will also be open for child care operations, including emergency child care. Free emergency childcare will be available for school-aged children of health care and other frontline workers.
“Children will continue to receive live virtual learning during this period, led by their teacher, with full access to school-based academic and mental health supports,” said Stephen Lecce, Minister of Education. “We will continue to work closely with the Chief Medical Officer of Health to keep our communities safe and ensure that Ontario students get back to in-person learning as soon as possible.”
Also beginning Wednesday, the Chief Medical Officer of Health will reinstate Directive 2 for hospitals and regulated health professionals, instructing hospitals to pause all non-emergent and non-urgent surgeries and procedures in order to preserve critical care and human resource capacity.
