The suspected increase in local cases following March break did not materialize, as case numbers in the area have continued to fall throughout the month.
“We are not seeing an impact,” confirms New Frontiers School Board (NFSB) director general Rob Buttars, referring to both the potential effect of the spring vacation and the removal of mask mandates for students while seated in class. “It is solid right now; but, of course, we are keeping an eye on the situation,” he says. “There are still cases, but we are able to stay on top of it.”
The NFSB is continuing to report declared case numbers to the government, and it has maintained its commitment to parents about open communication within schools when cases develop. As of March 17, the board-wide absenteeism rate was three per cent, where 1.8 per cent of students registered as absent were in isolation due to contact with a positive case, while 1.2 per cent were absent due to a declared case of COVID-19. There were seven staff members absent due to isolation protocols, and an additional six who had tested positive.
According to Buttars, there have not been any complaints about the removal of the mask mandates in schools, and there has been no indication from the government that remaining mask regulations will be lifted before mid-April. “We are still a little bit leery,” he admits, suggesting he does not want to see measures lifted too quickly, as a return to the previous rules would be very difficult to enforce.
State of emergency ended
A bill introduced by Health Minister Christian Dubé on March 16 ended the state of emergency declared by the province on March 13, 2020. The legislation will allow the government to temporarily maintain certain operational powers, but these will not affect the planned removal of mask measures in public places by mid-April. Dubé cautioned, however, that the pandemic was not over. He acknowledged talk of a sixth wave that is swelling throughout China and Europe and referred to the 6,000 health care workers still absent from the system due to COVID.
The virus continues to circulate locally, with at least 31 individuals having tested positive in the 24 hours preceding March 21 in the Haut-Saint-Laurent local health network (LHN). At least 99 cases were reported in the Suroît LHN, as well as an additional 225 in the Vaudreuil-Soulanges LHN, and 229 in the Jardins-Roussillon LHN. These figures are an underrepresentation of the virus’ actual spread, as they reflect only those cases reported by the government.
A walk-in vaccination clinic will take place on March 29 at the Hemmingford Recreation Centre from 1 to 7 p.m. A mobile clinic will also be held at the Huntingdon Legion on March 29 and 30, from 1 to 7 p.m.