Single mother backs NDP call for quick access to COVID-19 testing at N.S. schools
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Claudia Chender, NDP education critic, said she's worried that schools are unprepared for what could be an overwhelming situation in the fall and winter flu season coupled with the threat of a second wave of the virus.
Under the rules of the back-to-school plan, a student with COVID-19 symptoms is supposed to go home and self-isolate with a parent until they can get a test and then continue to isolate until that test comes back. The problem is the flu and COVID-19 share similar symptoms such as runny nose and low grade fever.
‘The challenge with that is actually very practical. As a parent of three, I can tell you that in the first few months of school most children, particularly young children, will display COVID symptom as they are currently mapped out.
‘They will have a runny nose, they'll have a cough, they'll have a low grade fever, and remembering, of course, that this is going to be what is traditionally flu season.’
To avoid overwhelming the system, Chender and the NDP are proposing a broad and expedited access to testing that could manage any outbreaks when schools reopen. They're proposing on-site testing at schools or mobile testing, dedicated communication lines for school administrators, and prioritizing results for students, staff and teachers.
Without such a plan, Chender worries about a repeat scenario of virus spread in Nova Scotia. That once again the provincial 8-1-1 system will become overtaxed with callers and too many people waiting to get tested.
‘Then we're going to be faced with thousands of parents missing weeks of work and that's a major issue,’ said Chender. ‘It's a family issue, it's a personal issue, it's an economic issue and certainly it's an issue for kids whose education has already been severely interrupted by this pandemic.’
But Chender said the larger problem is the lack of information being shared with parents, school staff and students. By comparison,
New Brunswick Education Minister Dominic Cardy pledged Wednesday that he would hold twice a week news conferences to flesh out the province's reopening plan. Chender said Nova Scotia Education Minister Zach Churchill should follow suit.
‘Nova Scotians deserve to be let in on the secret," said Chender. "We deserve to know more details about the province's reopening plan and what those conversations are and answers to the questions we're asking.’
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