Local students are taking their computers home before the Christmas holiday in case schools don't open as anticipated in January.
In Timmins, the Northeastern Catholic District School Board and District School Board Ontario North East are asking students to take their learning technology home for Christmas.
"Though we are very hopeful to resume face-to-face classes on Jan. 5, 2022, as a pro-active strategy to be ready for whatever comes our way, we will be sending our students home with learning materials and personal belongings before the Christmas holiday. In the event that we must move to a remote learning strategy, we will be ready. If not, students will bring the materials back to school with them in January," reads a letter sent to families by NCDSB director of education Tricia Stefanic Weltz.
The province is also sending rapid antigen tests home with all students at publicly funded schools.
Each student will receive a box of five rapid antigen tests and will be advised to take the test on Mondays and Thursdays. The testing is optional and is not required to return to school.
If a student does test positive, they are to seek confirmatory PCR testing at a COVID assessment centre. Anyone in their household who is not fully vaccinated is required to isolate while the test results are pending.
The province has also previously announced that starting in January 2022, elementary school assemblies will only be virtual. This may happen earlier if mandated by the local public health unit.
Indoor lunches and breaks will also be restricted to classroom cohorts when distancing between the cohorts can't be maintained.
COVID-19 cases in Ontario are increasing and public health measures are being adapted for the Omicron variant.
Yesterday, chief medical officer of health Dr. Kieran Moore said he wants a consistent approach across Ontario for Omicron and that health officials are reviewing restrictions for gathering sizes and best practices in schools. Premier Doug Ford is making an announcement today at 2 p.m. that is expected to be about vaccine boosters.
