Education Minister Stephen Lecce announced schools in Windsor-Essex and Chatham-Kent will be allowed to resume in-person learning on Monday, February 8, 2021.
"Following the best medical advice, with the clear support of both Ontario's and the local Medical Officers of Health, we are reopening schools across the province knowing that we have taken additional steps and made additional investments to better protect our students and staff," said Minister Lecce. "Nothing is more important than returning kids to school safely because it is crucial for their development, mental health, and future success."
On Monday, the Ministry announced a number of new protocols to help keep COVID-19 out of schools including active screening for teachers, mandatory masks for primary aged children and new guidance to discourage the congregation of staff and students before and after school.
"We recognize that the landscape has changed and we will not rest, we will continue to act and add additional layers of protection to our plan to protect your child and our staff and our schools," said Lecce. "As kids return to schools, schools will be even safer, as we've introduced new and even tougher measures to protect kids from COVID-19."
All public health units will also have access to rapid testing for schools in problem areas, however, as of Tuesday, the Windsor Essex County Health Unit did not have any indication how that would be deployed at the local level.
Schools in the Toronto, York, and Peel regions will not resume in-person learning until after Family Day.
Minister Lecce indicated schools are being allowed to reopen in the areas where community transmission is low and other indicators are following a positive trend. However, he said he will not hesitate to close schools again should the risk of transmission increase.
"If things change, if trends move in the wrong direction we will not hesitate to act following the advice of the chief medical officer of health. That's why we are going to monitor the trends and continue to be in close contact with the local medical officer of health to ensure that we deliver on the number one priority of our government which is keeping kids safe."
