The Province of Manitoba has announced that all schools will suspend classes beginning Monday, March 23—and students will stay home at least until Monday, April 13. This represents a loss of two weeks, since spring break already falls during this period.
“We believe that our schools are safe,” says Kelvin Goertzen, Manitoba’s Minister of Education. “However, the experience in other provinces and other parts of the world tells us that proactive measures lessen the impact of the spread of COVID-19.”
Goertzen adds that the officials are investigating different ways to make up for the lost time. School staff will be expected, for now, to continue to show up for work during the closure. A key part of their jobs will be preparing lessons that students can undertake at home.
Classes will continue for the next week. Goertzen says that the advance notice will help both parents and educators to plan for the extended break. In the coming weeks, school officials will also be carefully considering whether schools need to be closed beyond April 13.
Hanover School Division
Earlier in the day, before the school closures were announced, the Hanover School Division acknowledged the current crisis in a separate news release.
“The COVID-19 situation is rapidly evolving. Provincial governments are moving quickly to contain and slow down the spread of the virus through preventive measures such as personal hygiene, social distancing, and disinfection of spaces,” the division wrote.
With classes still continuing for one more week, steps will be taken to reduce the risk of spreading the infection.
“The Chief Medical Officer of Manitoba [has] advised schools to ensure ill staff and students stay home from school,” the release continues. “Schools are also being asked to reduce large-group, crowded activities, and to increase desk distance between students.”
The school division has also suspended all afterschool extracurricular activities, public events, in-school parent conferences, and facility rentals. School buildings will be closed at 4:30 p.m. each day, with the exception of daycares.
“In addition to reducing large group and public activities in our facilities, Hanover School Division will implement additional cleaning procedures in our schools and on our buses. Efforts will also be made to promote hand washing… and encourage social distancing where possible.”
They add that school buses will continue to run as scheduled, although they acknowledge that some schedules and routes may have to change on short-notice based on COVID-19 concerns and driver availability.
The release also says they understand that some parents and guardians may choose to keep their children home this week.
“Those choosing to exercise this option should inform their child’s school as per regular absence procedures,” the division says. “These are challenging times for all Manitobans. We will do our best to inform and update our school communities regarding this evolving public health issue. Your patience and cooperation are appreciated.”