TORONTO Ontario is postponing schools annual March break until the week of April 12, Education Minister Stephen Lecce announced Thursday.

We recognize the congregation is a key driver of the spread of COVID-19 , something we realized over the winter break, and we will not take that risk again with your child, with our staff, with Ontario families, he said.

The decision is all more important as we move to protect our communities from the emerging variants of this disease.

The break will start just one week after the four-day Easter weekend currently scheduled for schools.