Posted on by Californiacontrarian

“O Canada” – Part 2


In this part 2 there are a lot of common sense (CS) recommendations.

Hand sanitizing is emphasized both by frequent hand-washing and readily available hand sanitizers. (CS) As best I can tell nobody disagrees with this in either Canada or in the U.S.A.

Face masks ? 

Non-medical and medical face masks are not required or recommended for children returning to school. They point out that several European countries have had children successfully return to school without face masks.

Furthermore, there is a lack of evidence that wearing a face mask prevents SARS-CoV-2 transmission in children.

And finally, it is impractical for a child to wear a mask properly for the duration of the school day! (CS)

They do point out that some parents and children may choose to wear masks. This is a personal choice and should not be discouraged. (CS)

Physical distancing- this was so right on the money, that a copied the entire paragraph as follows:

“The objective of physical distancing is to reduce the likelihood of contact that may lead to transmission and has been a widely used strategy during the pandemic. However, strict physical distancing should not be emphasized to children in the school setting as it is not practical and could cause significant psychological harm. Close interaction, such as playing and socializing is central to child development and should not be discouraged.”

Smaller class sizes and spacing of desks in classrooms is be encouraged.

Large gatherings/assemblies should be cancelled for the immediate future.

With regard to outdoor activities, such as recess, physical distancing should not be required, and children should perform hand hygiene prior to sports activities/outdoor play/playground use.” (I wholeheartedly agree with that one)

Cohorting (keeping groups of children together for most of the day)

To the extent possible, cohorting classes could be considered for the younger age groups and for children with medical and/or behaviour complexities.

There are many more topics discussed, such as . . . environmental cleaning, ventilation, mitigation of risk for those at higher risk, protection of risk for staff and high risk families, children with medical or behavioral complexities, etc.

What I take away from this position paper is the following:

Get kids back to school now. Full time school . . . not some hybrid, or some other cockamamie model.

Let kids be kids . . . with lunch, playground recess, and after school activities just as before . . . Just wash your hands a lot!

If you have further interest in this topic, or perhaps if you are likely to go to an NHL game in the future, here is the entire piece.

https://www.sickkids.ca/PDFs/About-SickKids/81407-COVID19-Recommendations-for-School-Reopening-SickKids.pdf

6/24/20

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