Toronto Just Issued A New Order To Shut Down All In-Person Education Settings

Medical Officer of Health Dr. Eileen de Villa has issued a new order to further curb the transmission of COVID-19 in Toronto schools and educational settings.

The Section 22 order will go into effect May 10 at 12:01 a.m. and aims to shut down all educational settings to in-person learning.

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The order will not just apply to public and private schools, but any business or setting providing in-person educational services to school-aged children, "regardless of whether or not they qualify as a school within the meaning of the Education Act," the City clarified in a press release.

On Monday, de Villa told reporters that some religious schools in Toronto may still be offering in-class instruction. "There are some investigations that are happening right now, courtesy of the team at Toronto Public Health," she said. "If there are actions that we can take and should take in the interest of public health, you can rest assured that we will take those up."

Ontario's public and private schools moved to remote learning after returning from spring break on April 19, 2021.

Remote learning is here to stay — for now

Virtual learning will be offered as an option in Ontario during the 2021-2022 school year, the Ministry of Education announced this week.

However, families won't have to choose between virtual or in-person learning until June 1 at the earliest, the Ministry says.

The Ontario government will provide school boards with an additional $1.6 million in funding, some of which will go towards support for remote learning technology.