A group of eight pediatric doctors in Nova Scotia have written an open letter to Nova Scotia parents and students encouraging them to keep wearing masks in schools even as COVID-19 restrictions lift.
In the letter from the Nova Scotia Pediatric Pandemic Advisory Group, the doctors said they recognize “this has been two years of anxiety, fear, and frustration for many Nova Scotians, including our children.”
“The lifting of mandated pandemic measures has been a welcome shift for many in our province. However, although case counts and hospitalizations are slowly declining, we acknowledge that they do remain high,” it said.
The letter was signed by Drs. Alexa Bagnell, Tara Chobotuk, Jeannette Comeau, Joanna Holland, Katharine Kellock, Mike Nash, Sarah Shea and Andrew Lynk.
Although masking will no longer be required after March Break, the group “strongly” recommends wearing them in the school setting until at least mid-April, when the need can be reassessed.
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“Schools, like hospitals, provide an essential service,” it said. “We need our students and educational staff to be healthy and able to attend so that all can benefit.”
It said continued masking in schools would allow doctors to assess the impacts the new Omicron variant, as well as the impacts other provinces have seen after removing their mask mandates.
‘No clear evidence’ of harm
It would also help to protect essential workers — including health-care workers — who are parents to school-age children, and provide more time during which school-aged children can receive their vaccines, the letter said.
“Masking and vaccination have been two of the cornerstones of the pandemic response that are well-proven to be effective in decreasing transmission and severity of COVID-19 infection,” it said.
The number of hospital inpatients remain high, it said, and hospitals continue to struggle with capacity.
The letter also noted that students are “used to wearing masks, and there is no clear evidence they cause meaningful harm.”
“Finally, it is important to ensure that students are not bullied about whether they do or do not wear a mask,” the letter said. “Discuss this with your children. Be kind to one another, and tough on the virus.”
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