Enhanced public health measures are being introduced to reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission and to protect children. These changes are temporary to help keep schools open until school aged children have the opportunity to be fully vaccinated.

Effective Monday, November 1, 2021, the changes are:

• An extension of the Special Measures Order for masking to include students in kindergarten to grade 3 and staff in regulated child care centres. This means that masks will be required at all times indoors, including when children are seated in their classrooms.
• Cohorting will once again be required indoors, and to the greatest extent possible outdoors, for regulated child care centres and grades K-6 in schools. Limiting the interaction between classes will reduce the spread of COVID-19, in the event it makes its way into a school or daycare.

We are not recommending any changes for grades 7 and above, as a good proportion of that population is fully vaccinated and there is no indication of increased COVID-19 spread in those grades through school activities at this time.

Public health strives to have schools open for in-person learning to the greatest extent possible, for the health and well-being of children.

Additional information related to COVID-19 can be found at https://www.gov.nl.ca/covid-19/.

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Avis public : Mesures de santé publique additionnelles visant à protéger les enfants

Media contact
Lesley Clarke
Health and Community Services
709-729-6986, 699-2910
lesleyclarke@gov.nl.ca