A website has been launched to track COVID-19 cases in all Ontario schools.
Stephen Lecce, Minister of Education, and the Honourable Peter Bethlenfalvy, President of the Treasury Board and Minister responsible for the Ontario Digital Service, issued a statement on Friday, September 11, 2020 about making COVID-19 school-specific data publicly available online.
“We know that this September comes with a new set of challenges, as many children return to school,” Lecce and Bethlenfalvy stated.
“We have pulled out all the stops for Ontario’s students. It is why we have ensured that schools can reopen safely, with a $1.3 billion plan that is endorsed by Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer of Health, Dr. David Williams.”
Lecce and Bethlenfalvy added: “The Premier and the government made a promise to parents, that we would ensure that they would have access to the same information that we have. Over the last several weeks, we have been working with the Ministry of Health, the Ontario Digital Service and public health authorities, to ensure a rapid and transparent exchange of local COVID-19 data.”
The page will be updated every weekday with the most up-to-date COVID-19 information available, including a summary of cases in schools and licensed child care centres and agencies, if a COVID-19 case is confirmed at a school and where the numbers come from.
“Parents deserve to know what we know,” Lecce and Bethlenfalvy stated.
“As Ontario students return to school, we are developing new and innovative ways to combat COVID-19 in the classroom, including this webpage, which is just one way the Ontario government is leveraging technology to protect the health and safety of the next generation.”
Lecce and Bethlenfalvy added: “By making it easier for students, parents, and teachers to access important information about COVID-19 in their communities, we continue to deliver on our commitment of building simpler, faster, better services for the people of Ontario.”
As of September 11 at 9:30 a.m., there are 13 school-related cases across the Province.
The cases have been reported in the Ottawa, Pickering, Brampton, Mississauga and Waterloo regions.
