Parent prep: Teach kids about masks, understand atypical symptoms before school starts

Local public health officials wants parents to prepare their kids for back to school this fall, and top of the list is teaching children about masks.

Teaching children not just how to wear one but why they're neededwill help them feel more comfortable if they return to in-person learning at school this fall, says Dr. Julie Emili.

Emili is one the region's acting associate medical officers of health. On Tuesday, she said children will need to get used to a new routine.

This fall, students in Grades 4 and up who attend class in-person will need to wear a non-medical mask, according to provincial regulations. Younger students won't be required to wear one.

"Anyone who's a parent of a younger student probably understands that it's a bit more challenging to get them to wear the mask," Emili said Tuesday during a regular COVID-19 media briefing.

"They have to understand what we're doing ... and understand why a mask is important to wear and then, if they're old enough, that they can wear it."

More money for cleaning supplies

During a stop in Kitchener on Tuesday, Education Minister Stepehn Lecce said he appreciates "it's a difficult decision for parents to make" about whether or not to do in-class learning. For students who start with online learning, there will be a chance for them to re-enter the classroom if the parents or students decide they want to do that.

He said the government is spending more money on screening and testing for COVID-19 and supplies for cleaning the schools and hand hygiene.

"The asks that were made by [teachers'] federations was really fundamentally to ensure that students are masked, which we have followed the medical advice, where Grade 4 and up there will be mandatory masking with some exception of course for children with a pre-existing condition or special education needs," Lecce said.

He said personal protective equipment will be provided for teachers, but Lecce acknowledged the governmentexpects there will be a high rate of absenteeism with teachers because of COVID-19.

Watch from CBC's The National:Ontario to reopen schools with mandatory masks for older students:

Ontario to reopen schools with mandatory masks for older students

4 years ago

Duration 2:04

Ontarios plan to reopen schools in September includes mandatory masks for students in Grades 4 and up and giving parents the option for continued remote learning, but some say not enough is being done to mitigate the risks of COVID-19.

Atypical symptoms

Parents and caregivers will be asked to do assessments of children before sending them to school, which includes taking their temperature and watching for symptoms, including atypical symptoms.

Emili said most people know COVID-19 can cause a runny nose, cough, fever and shortness of breath in adults.

"In kids, it can present differently," Emili said, noting atypical symptoms might include gastrointestinal problems, the child having just a fever with no other symptoms and, in some rare cases, children have presented with an inflammatory disorder.

"We anticipate with younger students, we're still probably going to see kids presenting with symptoms of an illness and we're going to erring on the side of caution and making sure it's not COVID," she said.

"For most parents, it's really if your kid has any symptom out of the ordinary that isn't part of they don't have allergies or something else we have to consider, is it COVID and would they need to be tested."

Regional public health received guidelines from the province last week, and they're in the process of looking through them and "identifying what further do we have to do to support parents and schools," Emili said.