With a third state of emergency in place, and another stay-at-home order coming into effect tomorrow (April 8), Ontario schools will remain open in most regions.
The exceptions are Peel Region, Toronto, and Guelph public health units, who have all made the decision to close schools for two weeks.
That means schools in the Porcupine Health Unit area will remain open for in-person learning.
Premier Doug Ford has said keeping schools and child care open is "critical to the mental health and well-being of Ontario children and youth."
Schools will continue to provide in-person learning in public health regions where it is permitted, with strict safety measures in place, the government said in a press release issued this afternoon.
In an effort to stop the spread of COVID-19, education workers who provide direct support to students with special education needs across the province, and education workers in select hot spot areas will soon be eligible to register for their vaccinations.
The Ontario government said in this afternoon's press conference that vaccinations will start for education workers in Toronto and Peel over the April break (April 12-19).
It will then roll out to 'priority neighbourhoods' in other hot spot regions, including York, Ottawa, Hamilton, Halton, and Durham, before a provincewide rollout, which Ford's government has not yet provided further detail on.
This news comes as calls for the Ontario government to vaccinate education workers grow louder. NDP Leader Andrea Horwath said on Tuesday that the government should vaccinate education workers over the April break, as well as make upgrades to classrooms to reduce the spread of the virus.
