The Community
Press Telling Your Story
Volume 113, Issue 6
Wednesday, August 5, 2020
$1 Including GST
DEVASTATING SUMMER STORM
A devastating storm hit many Flagstaff municipalities on Monday, Aug. 3, starting with Forestburg at 6 p.m. then moving to Killam and Sedgewick, wreaking havoc in its path. Parts of Lougheed were also caught in the storm, which brought extremely forceful wind and rain to much of the region. Top: The Sedgewick building shown above (formerly Jordac Plumbing) was utterly destroyed by the strong winds accompanying the storm. Below: a driver was caught in the strong downpour and hit the ditch just outside of Killam, which by that point was already flooded with several feet of rain water. See more storm devastation Pages 12 & 13.
Return to school will now see masks mandatory for Grades 4-12 and school staff; province to pick up tab for supplies Patricia Harcourt Staff Reporter
The wearing of masks will now be mandatory for Grades 4 to 12 when returning to school this September, stated Education Minister Adriana LaGrange and Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Deena Hinshaw Tuesday. Ever since the announcement was made that students were returning to the classroom across the province, there have been concerns expressed that not enough was being done to keep students, teachers, and other staff safe. One of the main concerns was in the classroom where class sizes and distancing between students was not being addressed. There was to be increased cleaning measures but no reduction in the number of students in each class. Teachers said they could not teach properly and be the person to sanitize the rooms to the degree required by the COVID-19 virus. Although class sizes were not addressed by the officials, the mandatory use of masks for older students was, although masks are not mandatory except in common spaces. “There is emerging evidence that masks can play a major role (in reducing the chance of infection),” said
LaGrange. The staff in schools will be required to wear their masks at all times and in all settings where physical distancing can’t be maintained. The wearing of masks will be optional for students from Kindergarten to Grade 3, she said, as “children under 10 are less likely to transmit COVID.” The province will provide every K-12 student with two reusable masks, as well as teachers, support staff and bus drivers. This means 1.6 million masks will be outlayed to 740,000 students and 90,000 staff in the province. The reusable masks will allow someone to use one mask at school and have another mask being cleaned at home. In addition, single use masks will be made available. And teachers will be given face shields to use “at the discretion of the individual staff member,” although the person using a face shield will still have to also wear a mask. She repeated an earlier sanitation measure of hand sanitizer stations to be placed at the entrance to every school. The amount of hand sanitizer that will be distributed will depend on the population of a particular school. Plus, the use of two contactless thermometres to gauge temperatures in each school will be used “at the discretion of the school authority,” she said, adding
that all these supplies will be distributed to the school authorities before school begins. The department is also exploring the capacity for testing people in the schools and the turnaround times for getting back results. The extra measures “are the result of listening to medical advice and concerns by school authorities,” she said. “We will continue to work with the school authorities to ensure a safe and successful school entry,” she said, and “continue to evolve using the best advice.” Dr. Hinshaw said that non-medical masks are to be worn by Grades 4-12 students in school common areas such as hallways and on buses, and for staff and teachers who are in close contact with students. "If students are seated in their desks, working quietly and not moving around and the teacher is distanced from them, then mask-wearing is optional in that setting,” she said. “It’s important to help minimize the risk of catching or spreading COVID,” she said, explaining that the reason for the change in policy was based on a detailed review of case studies. “We know that masks can be an effective prevention for spreading COVID-19,” she said, adding there is “growing evidence it can disrupt transmission in close See SCHOOL P9