Ontario Has New COVID-19 Health Guidance For Schools & Test Results Don't Need To Be Shared

A week before students are set to return to in-person learning in their classrooms, Ontario laid out some new COVID-19 ground rules for schools.

On January 10, the Ministry of Health published a seven-page document providing "basic information" to everyone in school and child care settings for certain COVID-19 health measures.

The updated document breaks down all of the dos and don'ts for PCR and rapid antigen testing (RAT), as well as contact trace management and appropriate isolation periods.

According to the government, parents won't have to report their child's PCR or RAT results to the school anymore. But, they still must stay home to self-isolate and notify their high-risk contacts. The document says that "individuals only exposed at school with all public health measures in place are not generally considered high-risk contacts."

On top of this, schools also won't be reporting positive cases to other families at the school.

"Given the widespread transmission and inability to test all symptomatic individuals, schools will not be routinely notifying students/pupils in classes with a positive case, or if a child/student or staff is absent due to symptoms associated with COVID-19," the document says.

Take-home PCR self-collection tests will now only be used under "limited circumstances" for symptomatic students and staff who started feeling COVID-19 symptoms while at school. This means they will no longer be given out to "entire cohorts/school populations."

Isolation periods for those who test positive vary from 5 to 10 days depending on the person's vaccination status, their age and whether they're immunocompromised.

Those who test negative on a PCR test must stay home until their symptoms have been improving for at least 24 hours. Individuals who use RATs must have two back-to-back negative results separated by 24 to 48 hours, and can also go back to class after their symptoms have been improving for 24 hours. Isolation times for both are upped to 48 hours if gastrointestinal symptoms are present.

Ontario's students are officially switching back to in-person learning on Monday, January 17.

Health Canada has a robust website with all the latest information on COVID-19 vaccines and can answer any questions you may have.

This article's cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.