BC Teachers’ Federation pushes for mask mandate in back-to-school plans

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – The BC Teachers’ Federation is pushing for the implementation of a mask mandate in schools, when students and teachers return to schools next month.

It comes as provincial health worker Dr Bonnie Henry said schools will operate almost normally as the province moves to Stage 4, despite the Delta variant leading to an increase in cases across the country. province.

BCTF President Teri Mooring said a mask mandate remains essential to ensure the safety of staff and students.

“Young people and children who have not yet been vaccinated, who are not fully vaccinated or who are not eligible. So we still need to have a few layers of protection, and without masking, we’re really not going to have it, ”she said.

Mooring wants to see masking across the board when school starts in September, and then phased out regionally for areas with lower transmission rates.

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“For this to happen, we need clear and transparent data, regionally accessible, publicly accessible. This is an area that, you know, we really insisted on, which is better data, more transparent and accessible to the public. “

In a statement released last month, the BCCDC said that during the 2020-21 school year, schools were at low risk of transmitting COVID-19.

“[Schools were] sites at low risk of COVID-19 transmission when infection prevention and exposure control measures (also called health and safety measures) were in place, ”he says.

She says she is concerned about comments from some members of the school community that masks are not needed in classrooms.

“What is not appreciated enough is that the students in the schools were safe because the teachers worked very hard to make sure that the students wore masks, the students washed their hands, the students said separated – teachers took on extra supervisory duties to keep children separate, to the detriment of their physical and mental health.

Mooring understands that the decision to implement a mask mandate will come from a combination of the provincial government and the provincial health office, but calls for a decision to be made before the start of the school year.

It’s the same problem for #bced schools. There needs to be a more proactive approach rather than being continually reactive. Masking is a very simple and easy step. https://t.co/m9600sT4YZ

– Teri Mooring (@TeriMooring) August 14, 2021

“The last thing we want to do, as BCTF, is continue discussing masks – it doesn’t support anyone. We are therefore in favor of a mask mandate to start the school year.

While there is a percentage of teachers who may disagree with a mask mandate, Mooring says more than 80% of teachers are in favor of a mandate.

“These differences of opinion around masking are one of the reasons why it must be mandatory.”

Meanwhile, Mooring says there appears to be a high rate of immunization among teachers across the province.

Read more: British Columbia Makes COVID-19 Vaccination Mandatory for Long-Term Care Workers

“All the feedback we have received, all the surveys we have done, there is no hesitation about immunization among teachers,” she says, adding that as the research continues to evolve. Regarding the transmission of COVID among fully vaccinated people, “we still need to be vigilant, even with people who are fully vaccinated. “

And while Mooring says the BCTF would support a vaccination mandate for teachers if the province decides to implement one, she says it would be much more complicated for students ages 12 to 17.

“We can’t stop them from going to school because of their immunization status, but we can certainly require the mask to be worn,” she says. “And that’s why masking is essential.”

Surrey teachers want COVID-19 measures implemented

Surrey Teachers Association president Matt Westphal hopes the same mistakes won’t happen again.

“My biggest worry is that we may endure a repeat of last year. By that I mean start with less stringent security measures and reserve more serious measures only if the situation becomes really serious, ”he said.

“And masks are the best example of that, as Dr Henry described masks as a measure of last resort when it comes to doing a warrant. Personally, I think it’s the reverse of what it should be – they should be the first resort. “

He said the association would consider supporting a vaccine mandate for members.

“Vaccines are the best option we have for reducing the risk of contracting COVID and having a bad outcome,” he says, adding that he encourages everyone to get a vaccine.

“People have valid medical reasons that they can’t, so we would need to know what the plan is for these people. Are there any alternative measures they could do so that they can continue working, or not? ” he says.

Like Mooring, Westphal wants the province to start with strong action and then adapt.

“It’s a way to reduce the risk from the first day of the school year. Hopefully we don’t get to a point where then we have to close schools or have epidemics, etc. He said.

“My biggest concern is that we will have the same paradigm of a one-stop-shop for the whole province, that we do as little as necessary – as they think we need – and then amplify it.” . Because I don’t think it works well, and it has a terrible impact on staff morale. “