Niagara high school students taking part in Ministry’s at-home COVID-19 project
Published August 24, 2021 at 2:47 pm
A handful of Niagara Region high school students will be part of a pilot project created by the Ministry of Education to monitor exposure to COVID-19 at their schools.
A memo from the deputy minister of education Nancy Naylor sent to directors of education today (August 24) says the pilot is scheduled to run from September 7 to October 29 at targeted schools in 13 public health units across the province, Niagara Region being one of them.
Vaccinated and asymptomatic students and staff in some Ontario high schools who are exposed to COVID-19 through an outbreak or cohort will be given an at-home test to monitor their situation.
It says completed and packaged test specimens are to be dropped off at the schools, where they will be picked up by a courier.
The Ministry did not make it clear if the school boards select the students or how many would be asked to take part.
“We are doing everything possible to keep students in class, including offering new testing options that are more convenient and accessible for students and families,” Education Minister Stephen Lecce said in a statement.
“Following the advice of Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer of Health, our government is making more low barrier testing options available – including take-home tests for many high school students – part of our plan to reduce absenteeism and keep kids learning in-class.”
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