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Province expected to extend online learning

January 7, 2021

Announcement planned for 3 pm Thursday

It appears school will continue online for a while.

Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer of Health, Dr. David Williams, is expected to announce the return to school will be delayed for both elementary and secondary students this afternoon at 3 pm.

Premier Doug Ford hinted at the change earlier today saying there have been more cases in school children because people visited with family and friends over the Christmas break.

Lambton’s Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Sudit Ranade, told reporters Thursday until now, there was not a problem with transmitting COVID-19 in schools.

“Schools don’t seem to be independent drivers of transmission,” he says. “They seem to more reflective community transmission rather than being sources in and of themselves.

“The problem is, when you have high community transmission, you’re more likely to bring cases into schools. And what that does operationally, is make it challenging for schools to run when you’re isolating a lot of patients. And it makes it challenging for public health to follow up on all those cases in cohorts as well.”

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