PLEASE NOTE: Beginning January 13th 2021, Ontario will enter a state of emergency. The government has also issued a stay-at-home order requiring everyone to remain at home except for essential purposes effective January 14th 2021. The provincewide shutdown will continue in the Southwestern Public Health region until at least Thursday February 11, 2021 with a few additional restrictions added.
Enhanced Provincewide Shutdown Summary
Schools
Schools and private schools in this region remain closed for in-person teaching and instruction*. Elementary and secondary school students at publicly funded schools will participate in remote learning for now.
When in-person learning resumes, the following new health and safety measures will be put in place in all Ontario elementary and secondary schools:
- Students in Grades 1 to 12 must wear face coverings:
- In schools, including in hallways and during classes.
- On school transportation.
- Outdoors during recess, where distance cannot be maintained.
- Enhanced screening protocols will be recommended by the Chief Medical Officer of Health--Ontario’s COVID-19 School and Child Care Screening Tool, will be updated to reflect the new screening criteria.
- Targeted COVID-19 testing will be expanded (stay tuned).
*In-person learning will be available for students with special education needs who cannot be accommodated through remote learning. Contact your school board for more information.
Child Care
Child care for children who are not school-aged will remain open with enhanced health and safety measures.
Where elementary schools are closed for in-person instruction:
- before- and after-school programs are closed and may not charge parent fees
- emergency child care for school-aged children will be provided for eligible health care, public safety and other frontline workers
Contact your municipality or municipal service system managers to see if you are eligible for targeted emergency child care.
The following additional health and safety measures will be put into place:
- additional screening, which will be recommended by the Chief Medical Officer of Health and will align school screening protocols.
- voluntary participation in targeted COVID-19covid 19 testing.
These enhancements are in addition to the existing health and safety measures already required.