Ontario Says There Is No Plan To Let Expand The Allowed 10-Person Social Bubble This Fall
Ontario's social bubble limit currently sits at 10 people. In the province’s media briefing today, Minister of Health Christine Elliott told Ontarians that the province has no plans to increase that number. That could prove to be challenging, as most class sizes will be upwards of 20 students once Ontario is back to school.
The news came today when Premier Doug Ford addressed the province from Queen’s Park alongside Health Minister Christine Elliott and Education Minister Stephen Lecce.
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"We recognize that social bubbles for students will be larger, but we are also facing the flu season, so we are going to keep things as [they are] right now. We may change that in the future, but for right now we are going to keep it in its present stance," clarified Elliott.
The province did not provide further comment on whether students are expected to maintain that 10-person limit, or whether it is permissible for them to have a larger bubble.
Ontario teachers have said that class sizes as they are currently mandated are too large to provide ample social distancing measures, according to CBC News.
This could mean that students would have no choice but to be within two metres of more than 10 people.
Ford has already received considerable backlash for his refusal to set a standard for lower class sizes.
Yesterday, four of the largest teacher unions in the province banded together to take legal action against what they call a dangerous back-to-school plan.
“Schools and classrooms are unique workplaces, with upwards of 30 people sharing small spaces,” Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario President Sam Hammond explained in the announcement.
Additionally, a petition created by a Toronto District School Board employee begging Ford to reduce class sizes currently has a little over 250,000 of its 300,000 needed signatures.
The Premier previously hinted that the 10-person bubble policy may last until 2021, CTV News reported.