Parents, teachers nervous about return to classrooms as COVID-19 infections surge in B.C.
As COVID-19 cases climb and the school year nears, some Vancouver Island parents say the time for mandatory vaccinations is now.
"My unpopular opinion would be that you only get to come if your family is vaccinated, because otherwise you're putting the entire class at risk,” said Jennifer Jollymore, who is a parent of two school aged children.
Teachers are also nervous about a return to the classroom with last year’s pandemic protocols no longer expected to be in place and infections now the highest BC has seen in over three months.
"I'm hearing more and more about, ‘What is the plan for September?’” said Winona Waldron, president of the Greater Victoria Teachers Association.
The GVTA is calling on the province for three things: The first is to fund the upgrading of schools’ ventilation systems. The second is for the province to announce what plans are being discussed for the school year if the number of community infections continue to climb. The third is for mobile vaccine clinics in schools.
"Set-up for the day at a school and anybody in that school community, including parents or caregivers, could get vaccinated if they haven't been,” said Waldron.
“I think that’s a superb idea; it should be done,” said Dr. Brian Conway, medical director of the Vancouver Infectious Disease Centre.
Experts say mobile vaccine clinics in schools would target a younger demographic currently lagging behind other age groups.
B.C.’s recent surge in infections has been driven by people who aren’t yet fully vaccinated, according to provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry.
"It's mostly young people many who have not yet had the opportunity or many opportunities to get immunized, but now is your chance, particularly as we head back to school,” Henry said.
Although she’s pushing for people to get vaccinated, Henry did not announce any pandemic protocols for September’s return to class on Thursday.
In the mean time, parents can’t help but feel nervous.
"You know, with the numbers now and the rise in the Delta variant, I think (it’s) a little bit concerning,” said Rhianna Brown, a mother of one school aged child.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'I just can't believe that it took so long': Body found in wreckage 3 months after deadly fire
A man accused of arson in a January Old Strathcona apartment fire is expected to be charged with manslaughter after a body was discovered in the burned building late last month.
No proof man lied to brother about number of kittens born in litter, B.C. tribunal rules
A man was denied a $5,000 payout from his brother after a B.C. tribunal dismissed his claim disputing how many kittens were born in a litter.
Quebec police hand out hundreds of tickets to Hells Angels and other bikers before 'first run' meeting
Quebec provincial police handed out hundreds of fines to Hells Angels members and other supporting motorcycle clubs who met for their 'first run' in a small town near Sherbrooke, Que.
Grandparents killed in wrong-way crash on Hwy. 401 identified
A 60-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman killed in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 earlier this week have been identified by the Consulate General of India in Toronto.
A Chinese driver is praised for helping reduce casualties in a highway collapse that killed 48
A Chinese truck driver was praised in local media Saturday for parking his vehicle across a highway and preventing more cars from tumbling down a slope after a section of the road in the country's mountainous south collapsed and killed at least 48 people.
A candidate for Germany's key party was beaten up while campaigning for European elections
A candidate for Chancellor Olaf Scholz's center-left party in next month's election for the European Parliament was beaten up and seriously injured while campaigning in an eastern city, the party said Saturday.
Russia puts Ukrainian President Zelenskyy on its wanted list
Russia has put Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on its wanted list, Russian state media reported Saturday, citing the interior ministry’s database.
Britney Spears 'home and safe' after paramedics responded to an incident at the Chateau Marmont, source tells CNN
A source close to singer Britney Spears tells CNN that the pop star is 'home and safe' after she had a 'major fight' with her boyfriend on Wednesday night at the Chateau Marmont in West Hollywood.
Snakes almost on a plane: U.S. TSA discovers a bag with small snakes in passenger's pants
According to an X post by the Transportation Security Administration, officers at the Miami International Airport found the small bag of snakes hidden in a passenger's trousers on April 26 at a checkpoint.