Elementary and secondary school students across the province will all resume in-person learning by Feb. 16.
Students in health regions outside of the GTA will return to class on Feb. 8, while students in Toronto, Peel and York health regions will return to class after the Family Day long weekend on Feb. 16.
Ontario Education Minister Stephen Lecce made the announcement today during a press conference at Queen's Park, stating that safety has been the driving factor behind the province's decision.
"We will not put your child and your family at risk," said Lecce. "We were the first in the country to close schools last March and today we're the only province that decided to cautiously and gradually reopen our schools."
On Jan. 11, students resumed in-class learning in all Northern Ontario public health units. On Jan. 25, students in some areas of southern Ontario went back to in-person class.
On Feb. 1, students in four public health units — Eastern Ontario, Middlesex-London, Ottawa and Southwestern — were able to resume in-person learning.
Schools in the following public health units return to in-person learning on Feb. 8:
- Brant County Health Unit
- Chatham-Kent Public Health
- City of Hamilton Public Health Services
- Durham Region Health Department
- Haldimand-Norfolk Health Unit
- Halton Region Public Health
- Huron Perth Public Health
- Lambton Public Health
- Niagara Region Public Health
- Region of Waterloo Public Health and Emergency Services
- Simcoe-Muskoka District Health Unit
- Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health
- Windsor-Essex County Health
"We know how critical getting kids back to school is, for the mental health and the development of our children," said Lecce.
"Perhaps most importantly, while kids stayed home to learn remotely and with the introduction of tough measures and the stay-at-home orders for all Ontarians, we have seen a consistent decline in community transmission."
Public Health Ontario reported 1,172 new cases of COVID-19 on Feb. 3.
In the public health units that are permitted to return to in-person learning on Feb. 8, before and after school child care programs are permitted to resume on that day, therefore Feb. 5 will be the last day for emergency child care.
In the Peel, Toronto and York Region PHUs, where schools are continuing with remote learning until Feb. 16, before and after school programs will be permitted to reopen on that day and emergency child care will remain available until and including Feb. 12, to support eligible front-line workers.
To support the safe return of in-person learning, Ontario has introduced new measures to continue to protect students and staff against COVID-19 in the classroom.
These measures include:
- Provincewide access, in consultation with the local PHU, to targeted asymptomatic testing for students and staff;
- Mandatory masking requirement for students in Grades 1-3, and masking requirement for Grades 1-12 outdoors where physical distancing cannot be maintained;
- Providing 3.5 million high quality cloth masks to schools as back-up supply for Grade 1-12 students;
- Enhanced screening for secondary students and staff;
- Guidance discouraging students from congregating before and after school; and,
- Temporary certification of eligible teacher candidates who are set to graduate in 2021 to stabilize staffing levels, following high levels of absenteeism.
To further promote health and safety for students and staff, Ontario recently made an additional $381 million in funding available for schools.
Provided under the federal Safe Return to Class Fund, this funding will be used to improve air quality and ventilation in schools, support online learning, promote student mental health and hire additional staff. In total, Ontario has provided schools with more than $1.6 billion to protect against COVID-19.