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Province removes school COVID-19 measures

Mon, 28 Feb, 2022

News item: Province removes school COVID-19 measures

On Saturday, the Alberta government confirmed its plans to remove most remaining COVID-19 public health measures starting on Tuesday, March 1.

Under Step 2 of Alberta’s three-step plan, remaining school requirements are lifted March 1, including:

  • keeping students in cohorts
  • physical distancing
  • masks in schools for adults, including teachers, school staff, visitors, parents and yellow school bus drivers

For now, mandatory isolation requirements remain in place for people who have COVID-19 symptoms or test positive. Those requirements will become recommendations under Step 3, and the government plans to decide on the timing based on declining hospitalization rates.

MASKS

Masks will no longer be required in schools March 1, although the province continues to require masks in some high-risk settings, such as on public transit. The City of Edmonton also requires masks for anyone age two or older in all indoor public spaces and public vehicles, such as ETS buses and the LRT. The city bylaw does not extend to schools, which are under provincial jurisdiction.

​​The Division continues to encourage masks to help protect our collective health and safety. However, students, staff and visitors in our schools and buildings will make their own decisions about whether wearing a mask is right for them and those decisions should be respected.

STAYING HOME WHEN SICK

We all continue to play an important role in keeping students and staff healthy, and that includes staying home when you’re sick. 

Those with core COVID-19 symptoms and those who test positive must still follow mandatory isolation requirements. The province recommends anyone with symptoms should stay home and use an at-home rapid antigen test if possible. Because rapid tests can show a false negative result, anyone with symptoms should follow isolation requirements.

To help keep school communities safe, students and staff should continue to use the daily COVID-19 checklist to screen for illness. 

If a student develops symptoms at school, they will be asked to wait in a designated sickroom for a parent or guardian to pick them up immediately.

CONTINUING SAFETY MEASURES

Our schools continue to use a number of health and safety strategies that work together to protect the community, including:

  • enhanced cleaning and disinfecting in schools
  • encouraging healthy habits among students and staff, such as washing and sanitizing hands and covering coughs and sneezes
  • enhancing school ventilation systems
  • following provincial isolation requirements, using the daily COVID-19 checklist and staying home when sick

As part of ongoing work to enhance school ventilation, filtration systems continue to be upgraded to MERV 13 filters and the Division has ordered HEPA filtration systems for every classroom. They are expected to arrive throughout March.

NEXT STEPS

After nearly two years with complex health measures in place, it will take time to adjust school routines for students and staff. We appreciate your patience and partnership as we work through the changes.

MORE INFORMATION 

Read a letter from Superintendent Darrel Robertson about how the Division is responding to the latest announcement.