The Manitoba Teachers' Society president, James Bedford, is calling on the province to move all schools to Code Red.
According to the Manitoba Government website, the province would consider applying this alert level if there is extensive community transmission of COVID-19 and it is not contained, if there are widespread outbreaks and new clusters that cannot be controlled through testing and contact tracing, and if the virus is being transmitted at levels that public health and the health system deem concerning or critical.
BREAKING: Manitoba Teachers' Society President James Bedford calls on province to move Manitoba schools to Code Red. #CodeRed #Omicron #Covid19 #vaccines #StaySafe pic.twitter.com/1hQNB9KbPI
— MB Teachers' Society (@mbteachers) December 31, 2021
Bedford says the health and safety of students and educators is their number one priority, saying remote learning at this time is the best way to manage staffing demands and to ensure the continuity of learning in a safe environment.
As for hybrid learning with some students having some in-class time, Bedford says the society is opposed to it, saying the province should ensure consistency of response across school divisions.
Bedford is also calling on the province to provide N95 masks for education staff working in schools during remote learning, as children of critical service workers will still be in school during Code Red.
As students left school for the Christmas break, the province announced a few days would be added to the break, allowing more time for officials to evaluate the situation and respond.
Students are expected to return to classes on Monday, January 10.
Written by Judy Peters