COVID 19 Update August 7, 2020

COVID-19 Update from Mayor Wade Mills August 7, 2020

For the fifth consecutive day, the number of new COVID-19 cases in Ontario has remained below 100 which is fantastic news particularly as we settle into Phase Three.  Province-wide, we had 88 new cases, and 118 newly resolved cases today which brings our cumulative reported provincial totals to 39,897 cases, 36,024 resolved cases, and 2,783 total reported deaths.

This week, only five new cases were reported throughout the entire Wellington Dufferin Guelph Public Health region but none of those are being reported from within Dufferin County. Our cumulative regional case total now sits at 531 cases.  

Premier Ford today defended his government’s back-to-school plan despite some harsh criticisms from parents and educators. One of the biggest sources of discontent for many parents and educators is that the current plan calls for class sizes to be maintained at pre-COVID levels. The Premier did suggest that the government will be “flexible” going forward but he did not signal that any major reconsideration of the plan would be forthcoming.

As part of the provincial back-to-school plan, local school boards have been tasked with developing local measures to ensure student and teacher safety. The Upper Grand District School Board has now released its plans and parents, teachers, and students will notice some major changes from previous school years. Some of those changes are as follows:

-Students can attend either in-person or remotely, but cannot take a hybrid approach
-Students must be registered (for in-person OR remote learning) by August 14^th
-Students from grades 3 and up will be required to wear masks while indoors
-Elementary students will stay with their own class for the whole day (recesses as well)
-Outdoor recesses will be an opportunity for students to remove masks
-Students will be mandated to wear masks on the school bus
-There will be no singing of the National Anthem
-High school students will have four “quadmesters” instead of two “semesters”. There will be two classes per quadmester and each will last for 10 weeks
-Parents will not be permitted into the schools except for emergencies
-Cafeterias will be closed and students will not be allowed to drink directly from water fountains
-UGDSB will be at the ready to move back to full remote learning should we see a “second wave”

I would encourage all parents to prepare early, arm yourselves with the information that you need (directly from the school board), and make the decisions that best suit the needs of your children and your family.

Please enjoy you weekend!

Mayor Wade Mills