COVID-19 rapid testing at Saskatchewan schools could start as early as this week.
The Saskatchewan government announced Monday that 100,000 kits are being shipped to elementary and high schools across the province.
“A rapid testing program in schools is another excellent tool to help monitor the presence of COVID-19,” Education Minister Dustin Duncan said in a statement.
“The safety of students, teachers, and school staff is our government’s priority, and school staff and students have done an excellent job in helping to prevent transmission of the virus.”
The tests will be administered by laypeople who have completed a training program with the Saskatchewan Health Authority, according to the province.
Officials said schools will work with medical health officers to determine when testing is appropriate and with parents and caregivers to ensure there is consent for rapid testing to be carried out on a student.
Teachers and school staff are not expected to administer the tests, they added.
Anyone testing positive is required to have a PCR test to confirm the result. Negative tests require no further action.
“Our goal is the health and safety of all Saskatchewan residents,” said Health Minister Paul Merriman.
“This additional measure gives us another tool to monitor school environments and take further steps to protect the health and safety of staff and students if necessary.”
The news comes as both Regina school divisions move to online learning until after the Easter break.
Both Regina Public Schools and the Regina Catholic School Division said the decision to move to online learning was made, in part, due to the rising number of variant cases in the city.
On Sunday, health officials said there were 156 confirmed variants of concern in the province: 149 cases of the B.1.1.7 variant, which was first identified in the U.K., and seven cases of B.1.351, the variant first identified in South Africa. Of those, 141 are in the Regina zone.
There are also 625 presumptive variant cases in the province — 527 in Regina.