As Nova Scotia prepares to lift all COVID-19 restrictions next week, a group of doctors at a children's hospital in Halifax is strongly recommending students continue to wear masks in schools until the middle of April.
“We’re not saying that the government should reconsider, we’re just simply saying that at this moment in time you can make an individual choice and we would strongly recommend that given the level of community transmission of the virus you continue to wear that mask in school,” said Dr. Jeannette Comeau.
Mandatory masking will be lifted on Monday, including in public schools across the province, when Nova Scotia lifts all pandemic-related mandates.
“I think it would be a good idea to continue at least for the next month until we get ourselves into April, we can evaluate what the lifting of the mask mandate has done across society in general and see where the epidemiology is going,” said Comeau.
The Nova Scotia Pediatric Pandemic Advisory Group released an open letter with its recommendations.
"Schools, like hospitals, provide an essential service. We need our students and educational staff to be healthy and able to attend so that all can benefit," wrote the Nova Scotia Pediatric Pandemic Advisory Group, in a news release Thursday.
The group adds masks and vaccines have been a key factor during the province's pandemic response, with proof to be effective in decreasing the transmission of COVID-19 infection.
In the news release, the group says continued masking in schools could allow it to:
- assess the school impacts of cessation of mask mandates in other provinces
- assess the impact of the new Omicron variant within this current COVID-19 wave
- comfortably add open classroom windows as another layer of protection
- protect essential workers, including health-care workers, who are parents to school age children
- have more time available during which school-aged children can receive all recommended vaccines
The group also provided a list of why they believe masking should continue in schools:
- the number of hospital inpatients is still high and our adult hospitals are generally over capacity
- many health-care workers are still off work from infections and exposures
- vaccination rates for children between 5-11 years are <80%
- evidence suggests that properly fitted 3 ply masks reduce risk of COVID-19 transmission in the school setting and help decrease sick time from school
- students are used to wearing masks, and there is no clear evidence they cause meaningful harm
Despite mandatory masks and other restrictions lifting in Nova Scotia, the group continues to advise the public to stay home when sick, book COVID-19 vaccinations, follow school protocols, and be prepared in case a family member becomes infected with the virus.
In a statement to CTV News, a spokesperson for the Department of Health and Wellness said the province supports the IWK’s stance.
“Even after restrictions lift, Public Health continues to strongly recommend that Nova Scotians make personal decisions to keep themselves safe. This includes masking, physical distancing from those outside your close social circle, proper handwashing, and ensuring you are fully vaccinated,” the statement read.
The head of the Nova Scotia teachers association, Paul Wozney, says there have never been more COVID-19 cases in N.S. schools at any point in the pandemic than there are now.
“There are worries that we are creating the conditions for a super spreader or explosion of new cases in schools, and the fact is, teachers are already spread as thin as they can,” said Wozney.
He adds that if COVID-19 continues to spread in the classroom, a lack of faculty may force schools to close.
