in si de ha lto n. co m O ak vi lle B ea ve r | T hu rs da y, S ep te m be r 24 ,2 02 0 | 4 Reopening schools safelymatters to everyone That's why the government of Ontario has worked with health officials, school boards and educators to develop a comprehensive plan to keep kids and staff safe. • Physical distancing measures will be implemented such as desk separation, signs, floor markings and one-way hallways. • Face coveringswill be required for staff and students in Grades 4-12. • Hand hygienewill be enabled with hand sanitizer and hand washing. • More nurseswill be in schools. • School cleaningwill be enhanced. Paid for by the Government of Ontario Visit ontario.ca/ReopeningSchools Get Winter Ready! When you purchase a furnace, save up to 40% off select furnace accessories*. Promotion ends October 2nd, 2020 Call to Book Now! 289-205-3443 * Terms & Conditions Apply. Must buy a furnace at full price. Can not combine with any other discount. There is a critical need for timelier COVID-19 test- ing in the region in light of revised screening proto- cols launched on Tuesday by the province, according to the chair of the Halton District School Board. The new model does not require family members to self-isolate along with a child who is awaiting test results for a potential posi- tive COVID-19 result. Only once that child has a con- firmed case would the par- ent, sibling or other close contacts need to self-iso- late, explained superinten- dent of education Colette Ruddock in a verbal report to the board on Sept. 16. "So, whether it is a par- ent of a student, a sibling of a student, or it's a staff member who has a child who's got symptoms, ac- cording to this new provin- cial screening tool, they are not required to self-iso- late," said Ruddock. The news triggered an immediate response from chair Andrea Grebenc, who said it is even more impera- tive now that testing is time- ly, because schools need to know as quickly as possible if there is a positive CO- VID-19 case, so that contact tracing and isolation can oc- cur "to keep COVID at bay and out of our schools as much as possible." In Halton today, it can take up to 72 hours to get an initial appointment for a COVID-19 test and another four days to get the results, said Grebenc, adding that there are no walk-in test- ing clinics in the region. "So you're looking at po- tentially seven days to get a test result back, and you can imagine the mixing and mingling that can hap- pen, especially now that siblings, children, parents don't have to self-isolate while waiting for a test re- sult," said Grebenc. Because Halton Region Public Health has now aligned its screening proto- cols with the province's, and the board has been follow- ing local public health guid- ance throughout the pan- demic, the board will adjust its model too, said Ruddock. With unanimous sup- port from her fellow trust- ees, Grebenc will be writ- ing a letter to the premier, ministers of education and health, the regional chair and Halton's medical offi- cer of health, imploring them to "dramatically in- crease the accessibility and capacity for same-day COVID-19 testing and re- sults." HALTON DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD TRUSTEES FOR QUICKER COVID-19 TESTING KATHY YANCHUS kyanchus@metroland.com NEWS