Waterloo region expects to hire 20 new public health nurses to aid schools with COVID-19 response

The Region of Waterloo is planning to hire approximately 20 new public health nurses to help area schools handle the COVID-19 pandemic as students return to class next month.

The province announced earlier this month it would hire 500 public health nursesto help schools handle COVID-19. The region's acting medical officer of health Dr. Hsiu-Li Wang says while they're still awaiting the exact details, the region wasrecently told by the province that it will receive funding for the new nurses.

"We are moving as quickly as we can to recruit these new nurses," Wang said Tuesday during a regular COVID-19 media update.

"These nurses will be involved in things like assisting schools with infectionprevention andcontrol, case and contact management, outbreak management and supporting the communication and engagement with parents and with our health-care partners," Wang said.

Wang said it's unlikely the 20 new nurses will be able to be hired and trained by Sept. 8, which is the scheduled first day of school. For now, the region is moving some current public health nurses who are answering calls or working inchild care settings in order to help schools prepare for back to school.

Wang says there are approximately 200 schools in the region, which means when the new nurses are in place, there will be one public health nurse for 10 schools. The nurseswon't be able to be stationed in the schools, but they will visit the schools, Wang said.

Currently, public health staff are working to answer questions school boards may have, Wang said. That may include physical walk-thrusof some schools before doors open to students, although Wang said it's unlikely they'll be able to go through every school before Sept. 8.

Expecting cases in schools

Wang says it is expected there will be COVID-19 cases in schools.

But Wang says the measures schools are putting into place will help limit the spread of COVID-19. That includes cohorting students to their classes, mask wearing, increased hand hygiene and physical distancing.

The Waterloo Region District School Board has mandated all students returning to the classroom need to wear masks, not just students in Grade 4 and up. Wang says she supports the board's decision to do that and says "I strongly encourage" younger children to wear masks when they return to school this fall, even if it's not mandated.

Wang adds the community plays a role in keeping students safe.

"Keeping schools open safely will be facilitated by low rates of community transmission. Everyone, therefore, has a part to play to keep community transmission as low as possible," Wang said.

"We will be living in a pandemic situation for quite some time. But we will have the best chance of keeping our society as opened as we can if we make the recommended public health practices a part of our daily lives."

5 new cases

Waterloo region reported five new cases on Tuesday. There are 40 active cases with three people in hospital. As well,89 per cent of cases have been marked as resolved.

Wang said more than 59,000 tests have been done since March and 2.4 per cent have come back positive.

The number of people who have died from COVID-19 in Waterloo region remains at 119. There are currently no active outbreaks in any long-term care homes in the region.