North Coast Review
[This story originally appeared on The North Coast Review, a blog based in Prince Rupert that contains “items of interest to those living on the North Coast of BC.”]
With the Province of British Columbia expanding the mask mandate to include all students from Kindergarten to Grade 12, the union which represents teachers in the Prince Rupert region is celebrating the decision.
In a release from Sunday, the Prince Rupert and District Teachers’ Union outlined what the mandate now means for the school community.
“As you likely know from widespread media coverage, this part of our campaign for safer schools has met its objective,” it explains. “The provincial government has agreed with the BCTF and PRDTU on making masks a requirement for all ages. This means that masks, with some exceptions, are now mandated for all staff, visitors, and students in schools throughout the province.”
The union says that “while we had hoped for government action sooner, as COVID-19 changes so too must our response to it. At least the government remains committed to following the science on protecting people during this pandemic.”
The Teachers’ union predicts more normal times for students, families and teachers as the vaccination program continues forward.
“As the population reaches full vaccination, we are all hopeful that our schools will return to the pre-COVID normal when we could see each other’s faces and go to school without wearing a mask,” it explains. “Thankfully, the science behind vaccination has provided us with an effective and safe way out of this pandemic together.”
