Ontario students return to virtual school as part of lockdown measures
Posted January 4, 2021 6:13 am.
Last Updated January 4, 2021 5:53 pm.
Students across Ontario will return to the virtual classroom Monday as part of a provincewide lockdown.
The measure ends for all students in northern Ontario and elementary students in southern Ontario after the first week back from winter break.
High schoolers in southern Ontario will continue online learning until Jan. 25.
Child care will remain open for the duration of the province-wide shutdown. But, during the time when elementary schools are operating virtually, “licensed child care centres and authorized recreation and skill-building providers will be prohibited from serving school-aged children.”
Before and after school programs will also be shut down during the period of Jan 4 to 8.
The move is part of a provincial lockdown that began on Boxing Day and is set to last until Jan. 9 in northern Ontario and Jan. 23 in southern Ontario.
Asked whether the province would consider extending remote learning in light of an ongoing surge in COVID-19 cases, a spokeswoman for Education Minister Stephen Lecce said the government will continue to follow the advice of medical experts in making those decisions.
The province logged 3,363 new cases on Saturday, up from Thursday’s record of 3,328.
On Sunday, it recorded 2,964 new cases and 25 deaths.
