Alberta students will be heading back to classrooms as planned starting next week.
On Thursday, Alberta Premier Jason Kenney announced the province would be following its original schedule for students to return to classrooms on Monday, Jan. 11.
Students can still attend online classes if they prefer.
“I want to recognize the effort of school staff, teachers and parents to follow health measures and help us keep classrooms safe for Alberta students. I’m confident this effort will continue and we’ll see a successful return to in-person learning, to the benefit of all students.”
The premier said 0.4 per cent of students and staff tested positive for COVID-19 between September and November.
Alberta Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Deena Hinshaw said only six per cent of Albertans who contracted COVID-19 got it from in-school transmission.
Kenney said the decision to stick with the back-to-school plan was carefully considered, adding COVID-19 case counts dropped for student age groups in December.
“Schools play, of course, a key role in student learning ... mental health and overall well-being,” Kenney said.
While schools will open, the rest of the existing health measures will remain in place until at least Jan. 21. Businesses, organizations and service providers must continue to follow the current rules in place to protect Albertans from COVID-19.
Kenney said the province will analyze public health data and will use it to re-evaluate the current level of restrictions over the coming weeks.
