The Education Minister says the decision on whether or not to go ahead with the resumption of in-person learning in K-12 schools will trigger the distribution of rapid tests to students.
Government has set next Monday, January 24 as the target date, a final decision which will be announced tomorrow, January 19th, 2022.
Minister Tom Osborne says they’re in discussion with school officials and the union, and if and when the go-ahead is given, a plan on the distribution of rapid tests will be announced.
Osborne says they don’t want to send the tests out too early, if they’re not needed. He says they want to prevent the tests, which are in limited supply for the time-being, from being misplaced or misused.
A global shortage is casting doubt on what the province can expect in terms of delivery of rapid test kits over the coming months.
Students will be required to test twice before returning to school, with three tests available in case they develop symptoms once they’re back in class.
With schools, point-of-entry testing and long-term care homes among other needs, the province expects to burn through about one million rapid test kits a month.
Five rapid test kits per student will be distributed to families once the final go-ahead is given, but the Health Minister says access to rapid tests is limited. He told reporters yesterday that there is a global shortage of rapid test kits, and the province has not yet secured its supply of kits promised by Ottawa, with no confirmed date on delivery.
Haggie says the kits already sourced, and the half a million kits expected to arrive by the end of next week, have been sourced “independent of the federal chain.”