Image Credit: ADOBE STOCK

B.C. teachers are asking parents to get their children to wear masks in school as the second wave of COVID-19 picks up speed. 

"Now, as B.C. is gripped by this surging second wave of the coronavirus, we’re reaching out to you for some help," reads a letter to parents posted to the B.C. Teachers Federation's social media from union president Teri Mooring.

"While masks are not mandatory at all times in schools, we’re hoping you can help us support a culture of mask wearing. Some schools have already taken this step. The school community has come together and made mask-wearing normal and expected. It really helps everyone in our schools feel safer. We need to be doing all we can to ensure we keep each other safe. No one wants to bring COVID-19 home to their families."

Mooring acknowledged there are students and staff members who for various reasons can’t wear masks. And, there are some learning situations where masks aren’t appropriate.

"That’s all OK. Our school communities have a lot of experience making sure people are included and treated with kindness and respect," she said. "By talking to your children about wearing their masks in school, you can help us create that respectful culture of mask wearing."

Interior Health currently has 12 school exposure notices on its notification page, the bulk of which are in the Central Okanagan.

While COVID-19 numbers have continued to skyrocket in the Lower Mainland there's been moderate growth in the Interior. From Friday to Monday, for example, there were 1,933 people who tested positive for COVID-19 in B.C.

Of those, 1,304 were in the Fraser Health region and 104 in the Interior Health region.

And while mask wearing is used in some school spaces, largely among older students while using shared spaces, they've not been embraced wholly. Last month, a B.C. court even rejected a case brought forth by two parents who wanted mask wearing to be made mandatory for schools.

In his decision, B.C. Supreme Court Justice Bill Basran said Dr. Henry and the Ministries of Health and Education were guiding the public well.

“The evidence shows that public health officials thoughtfully and comprehensively considered the use of masks in schools,” Justice Basran wrote. “They considered the research and current scientific information regarding the use of masks and concluded that some masking in schools was required, but a widespread mandatory masking policy is not necessary at this time.

“This is because the evidence shows that in current circumstances, such a policy may be counterproductive because it could detract from the effectiveness of more effective means of limiting transmissions, such as staying at home when sick, proper hand hygiene, and physical distancing. This is a reasonable and rational approach to the use of masks in schools.

“On the balance of convenience, in my view, the public interest is best served by continuing to rely on the (provincial health officer), her team of experts, and the Minister of Health to guide British Columbia's response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.”

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