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By Caden Fanshaw

TEACHER CONCERNS

PGDTA pens open letter to PHO calling for more school exposure information and consistency

Dec 17, 2020 | 5:18 PM

PRINCE GEORGE – The Prince George District Teachers Association is bringing forward new concerns in an open letter to Dr. Bonnie Henry.

“It is concerning,” says President of the PGDTA, Joanne Hapke. “When there is a school exposure that means there is at least one positive case,

As contact tracing remains backlogged in Northern Health, and the school exposures in School District 57 continue to mount, the PGDTA says many of their members are worried and anxious.

Fraser Health recently revised it’s contact tracing notification guidelines, moving to a three-option system, while Northern Health only has one.

“We want all health authorities to be following the same guidelines,” says Hapke. “If we are able to receive that exposure notification as contact tracing is going on, then people are able to make good decisions for their families, and good decisions for themselves.”

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The Ministry of Education says in a statement:

“We understand teachers’ concerns, like all of us, they want to ensure the safety of themselves and their students. We will continue to work with the PHO and our education partners to ensure K-12 guidelines and school district safety plans are providing the safest possible learning environments for students and staff as we navigate a global pandemic together.”

The PGDTA is also asking for mandatory mask-wearing in all areas of school, and a rework of the current cohort system which they call ‘flawed.’

Northern Health has reported at least 17 school exposures as of December 17.

Minister of Health Adrian Dix announced Thursday that Northern Health has hired fewer contact tracers than any other health authority in BC.

Northern Health has hired 42 in addition to the 500-600 employed prior to COVID-19, this while the Fraser Health Authority hired 579 more contact tracers.

You can find their full letter to the BC Provincial Health Officer below:

Prince George District Teachers Association letter