And Jim Watson says he has asked city staff to see if the city of Ottawa can implement its own mandatory mask policy for OC Transpo buses and the O-Train as soon as the provincial term expires later this month. “We have to kill this virus once and for all and we can not do it if we remove some of the tools that our doctors say are the most effective tools that keep us safe,” Watson said. This week, the health worker Dr. Vera Etch said there is “more COVID-19 in the community than ever” and is in talks with the county about restoring mask orders. Watson told Newstalk 580 CFRA’s Ottawa Now with Kristy Cameron that he was “increasingly concerned” about the situation of COVID-19 in Ottawa and that some restrictions would have to be re-imposed. “I think the county really needs to reconsider its mask orders; I think we need to have masks at basic services, places you have to go – grocery stores, pharmacies, schools and also during transport,” Watson said. The Ontario government lifted mandatory mask requirements at most public indoor facilities on March 21. Masks are mandatory on public transport, in hospitals and healthcare facilities, and in nursing homes and long-term care homes until April 27. The mayor has previously said that the city of Ottawa does not have the power to overturn a provincial decision. Watson says he has asked city staff to see if the city of Ottawa has the power to keep masks mandatory on public transportation as OC Transpo is a federal regulation. “I spoke with Dr. Etches and I think as the passenger traffic on both the train and the buses increases, we have to insist that people wear their masks because they will be in tight spaces, not in good air circulation and the mask is one of the cheapest, most effective ways to stop COVID, “said Watson. “The last thing we need is more lockdowns, so I prefer to take some precautions now.” The mayor says Etches is considering “different options” for possible new restrictions on COVID-19 cases in the capital. On Thursday, the Etches, health practitioners across Eastern Ontario and chiefs of staff at all hospitals in the Champlain area called on residents to do four things to protect themselves, your family and the community. The four things are:
Get vaccinated with all the doses you are entitled to Limit your close contacts Wear a mask indoors Stay home if you are sick
MASKS IN SCHOOLS
The union representing primary school teachers in Ottawa is calling for the return of compulsory masks to the classroom, as COVID-19 levels remain high.
“A word I would use is chaotic,” said Susan Gardner, president of the Ottawa-Carleton Primary School Teachers Association in Ontario. “With these last restrictions lifted, what we are hearing is that some classes are closing, a lot of staff are missing, it is very difficult to find staff who are good enough to get in.” Gardner says school boards have had to find “creative ways” to cover classrooms, including the use of tutors. The Ottawa Universal School Board says a class had to be canceled this week due to staff shortages. The Ottawa-Carleton District School Committee told the Ottawa Citizen that between four and 11 classes a day are closed for personal learning from the end of March. Gardner says she would like to see the return of compulsory masks to schools. “I really do not think it should have been lifted from the beginning, I think it was too early. Since the lifting of these safeguards in schools and across Ontario, there has been a predictable increase in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations,” Gardner said. in the Newstalk 580 CFRA. At least 49 percent of students and staff in 49 Ottawa schools were absent on Thursday. The Ottawa-Carleton County School Board president says schools rotate teachers and use librarians, principals or retired teachers to supervise. “There may be another member of the school staff supervising a group of students. They may not be teaching, but at least they are providing safe adult supervision,” said Lynn Scott. The father of four, Devon McKee says it’s like rolling the dice to see who’s missing out on school every day. “We have not spent a week without at least a few children in all of these classes being sick,” McKee said. Scott hopes the county will take a second look at compulsory school masks. “There are growing concerns about the mask,” Scott said. “I hope the province is looking at it very carefully and will do whatever it takes to limit the spread here. We do not want to be in a worse situation than we are now. At the moment, we are succeeding, but whatever we can do to make it easier would be worth doing. “ Ottawa-Carleton County School Board Administrator Mark Fisher added his voice to calls for cover-up orders to return to schools. “The mask for me is probably the simplest energy, the simplest health measure we can take, apart from ventilation and good hand hygiene and what you have and the distance to school. It’s just a very simple thing we could do. we do, “Fisher said Friday. “Would it have completely eliminated the situation we are in at the moment? Probably not. “Mask was just a very simple thing we could keep doing.” With files from Leah Larocque of CTV News Ottawa
