THUNDER BAY — A spokesperson for public school elementary teachers in Thunder Bay says there's been a somewhat cautious response to the end of the mandated wearing of face masks in local schools.
As of Monday, the Ontario government no longer requires masks to be worn in schools, retail settings and most other indoor public spaces.
Based on reports he received from individual schools, Mike Judge said there was considerable variation in the use of masks in Thunder Bay's public school system on the first day of class after March Break.
Judge is the president of the Lakehead Elementary Teachers of Ontario.
"In some, it's as much as three-quarters of students and staff still wearing masks. As the day has gone on, some colleagues have reported that dropping down to closer to 50 per cent," he said in an interview Monday afternoon.
Judge said he's hearing there's a more relaxed approach in hallways and staff rooms, but he expects many individuals will continue to play it safe for a week or so.
"There's a little bit of uncertainty coming back after March Break, with families taking the opportunity to travel a little bit. And there were some big hockey tournaments in the city this weekend. I think some families are being a little bit cautious, which is probably appropriate, and will make another decision next Monday."
The Lakehead District School Board had unsuccessfully sought an extension of the mask policy at the local level.
Judge said he understands why the board made that request, given that Northwestern Ontario's COVID-19 case rate is higher than the rest of the province.
"There's probably some sense to that request," he said, but added "I'm always going to defer to the Medical Officer of Health. In this case Dr. DeMille made the call that she didn't think it was an appropriate move [to continue the mask mandate] at this time. I'm certainly not going to second-guess her."
The Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board has decided to ignore the province's instructions and will require mask-wearing until April 1.
But Judge said "I don't think it's appropriate to go wildcat, and act on our own. You start getting into dangerous territory when you start to think your opinions are more informed than the experts."
He called the relaxation of COVID-19 restrictions "a challenging time" for students, families and staff but said ending the mask mandate will bring some benefits to many students.
"A lot of our younger students haven't got to interact with many of their peers without masks on. They aren't even aware of what some of them actually look like. So this is a big time for them."
Judge added that his own son was looking forward to going to school without a mask.
"Those facial expressions are such an important part of communication. That's been lost in this a little bit," he said. "I'm excited for those students that need that expressive interaction with their teachers, with their peers so that they can fully experience school. That's a big moment for them today."
