In-person classes resume Monday for Nova Scotia’s students

Nova Scotia's students will return to their classrooms next week.

At a Wednesday briefing, Premier Tim Houston confirmed schools will open for in-person learning on Monday.

It will be the first time back to classrooms for most kids since before Christmas. Following an extended holiday break, most children have been learning online this week.

“Our schools are safe and the best place for our children is in school,” Houston said. “This is the advice of Public Health, this is also the advice of leading paediatric doctors in this province at the IWK and elsewhere too.”

Last week Houston promised new ventilation units for classrooms in 71 schools across the province.

Today, he said those have been delivered.

“My understanding is they are physically in those schools now and will be in the classrooms by Monday,” he stated.

Houston said three-ply masks are also being distributed, along with about 25,000 rapid tests “based on enrolment.”

“Those tests will be available based on a need for testing, so primarily for students and staff who come to symptomatic or develop symptoms while at school,” he said.

“To parents, if your child is sick, as you would have in the past when they were ill, please keep them home.”