in addition, ottawa medical officer of health dr. vera etches has been a strong proponent of the importance of in-person learning and has requested the province take a regional approach to reopening schools.
schools remained open in october, during another covid-19 peak in ottawa, when cases were higher than they are now.
other factors come into play now, though, including the rollout of vaccinations and the emergence of more contagious virus variants that dominate covid-19 cases in the province.
about a third of ontario teachers are now vaccinated, williams said at the briefing thursday.
williams also suggested that having schools open might also help in the vaccination campaign for teens.
youths aged 12 to 17 are eligible to book a vaccine starting may 31.
education unions have urged the government to improve safety measures at schools, including more improvements to ventilation, smaller classes and widespread rapid covid-19 testing.
on thursday, premier ford repeated a statement he made earlier that education unions threatened a court injunction if schools reopened.
ford’s office said the statement was made by “labour partners” at a meeting. officials at ontario’s five major education unions, contacted by this newspaper, all said they had not threatened a court injunction.