Students in Ottawa will not return to classes on Monday amid continued COVID-19 precautions, the Ontario education minister’s office confirmed on Wednesday.
An announcement from Education Minister Stephen Lecce listed a series of public health units wherein students could return to in-person schooling on Jan. 25.
Ottawa Public Health was not among those listed.
As a result, students will continue remote learning for the foreseeable future.
“The Chief Medical Officer of Health will continue to review the public health trends and advise the government on the resumption of in-person learning,” the Ministry of Education said in a statement to Global News on Wednesday evening.
Some neighbouring health units in Eastern Ontario, including Kingston, Frontenac and Lennox & Addington, Leeds, Grenville and Lanark District and Renfrew County and District health units will resume in-person schooling.
The education minister noted that some schools in the Conseil des écoles publiques de l’Est de l’Ontario and the Conseil scolaire de district catholique du Centre-Est de l’Ontario boards could open as they cover multiple public health units.
Both boards confirmed to Global News in statements that schools under their jurisdictions outside of Ottawa will return to in-person schooling on Monday, while students in the nation’s capital will continue with remote learning.
Dr. Vera Etches, Ottawa’s medical officer of health, said Wednesday before the province’s announcement that the local public health unit would be “ready to support schools opening on Monday.”
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