The Ontario English Catholic Teachers Association (OECTA) says it is asking the county to overturn the decision to end the mask in all schools on March 21 because COVID-19 absences from teachers and students cause “learning disruptions” .
“COVID-19 is not over.  “The absences of teachers and trainers associated with COVID-19 remain unprecedented,” OECTA President Barb Dobrowolski said on Friday.
“The number of children admitted to hospitals with COVID-19 symptoms is rapid.  According to the Ontario COVID-19 Scientific Advisory Board, the number of cases is skyrocketing, with COVID-19 sewage measurements showing that the province now sees more than 100,000 cases a day.
Dobrowolski says the union told the Ford government that the March 21 deadline for ending the mandatory mask was too early, especially given the potential impact of international travel and private gatherings during March.
The county does not report how many teachers and staff are exposed to COVID-19 as was the case in 2020 and 2021. It also does not require public health units to fire exposure courses or even notify parents of exposure in all cases.
Instead, it publishes absenteeism rates, although not all schools submit data every day.
On Thursday, the Toronto Catholic District School Committee reported 10.2 percent absenteeism among the schools they reported, while the Toronto District School Committee reported 14.7 percent absenteeism.
The Toronto Catholic District Council is one of the few councils that continues to document all cases, mainly through voluntary home antigen screening.
She reported 105 new cases of COVID-19 in her schools on Thursday, up from 100 a week earlier and 36 two weeks earlier. 
A single Catholic primary school in Port Union has reported more than 100 cases in the past two weeks and does not need to be closed under current rules.
A school board administrator in London, Ont.  said its board has to cover 400 staff absences a day, mainly due to COVID-19.
This council, the Thames Valley School District Council, said two of its schools would close and return to virtual learning only on Friday due to “staffing problems”.
For its part, the Ford government said it wanted people to have a choice whether to wear a mask or not, and Prime Minister Doug Ford dismissed the recent ongoing increase in COVID-19 transmission across the province as a “slight surge”. .