Saskatchewan to provide COVID-19 update as calls for school measures increase | Globalnews.ca

The Saskatchewan government is holding a COVID-19 briefing.

Education Minister Dustin Duncan and Dr. Saqib Shahab, the province’s chief medical health officer, will address the COVID-19 situation in the province at 11 a.m. Wednesday.

Global News is live streaming the press conference.

Patrick Maze is hoping the province backtracks on allowing students back in the classroom.

“Part of me says that they’re going to double down and continue on with their chosen path, and part of me says that they’re going to realize the error of their ways and backtrack and follow other provinces,” said Maze, head of the Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation.

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Maze said even if the province does bring in some measures, it may be too late.

“Once all the students came back off their holiday and have been mixing all day, the damage has been done,” he said.

“And so really, it’s unfortunate that we didn’t spend a couple of days allowing administration in schools to put staff and students into cohorts and tried to do as much damage control as we could to limit the spread.”

He said the federation also heard of mass staff shortages when students returned to class on Tuesday after the Christmas break.

“We had lots of concerns that staffing was going to be an issue,” Maze said.

“We worry that if we’re short-staffed, we can’t provide students a safe learning environment.”

It is a concern also raised by Rob Westfield, an education support worker and chairperson of the CUPE Saskatchewan Education Workers’ Steering Committee.

“We know there has been classroom transmission of COVID-19 — now you are putting children in crowded classrooms while an even more contagious variant of the virus sweeps across our province,” Westfield said in a statement Tuesday.

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He said it is unacceptable that the government hasn’t taken any meaningful action to stop the spread of the virus.

“This government needs to take immediate action to keep students and staff safe by delaying the return to the classroom or returning to online learning.”