Editor:
I am writing to voice my concern over the upcoming school year and how our provincial government is downplaying the risk.
I have two daughters attending elementary schools in Burnaby and will not be sending them back to school anytime soon.
Has anyone paid attention to the official B.C. COVID-19 dashboard published by BC Centre for Disease Control? It is telling us that there are fewer cases involving young children (and seniors), but what it is not telling us is how socially active they are compared to those in the adult category.
We've held back on our kids' social activities, but that does not mean they are less likely to get this virus.
Once we put 20 of them together, it will exponentially increase the chance and completely re-write the progress we've made in the last few months.
What about parents picking up and dropping off kids? There's simply not enough room for everyone to maintain social distance no matter how you cut it.
What is the protocol for kids where one of the parents is sick, showing symptoms or not? What about the reverse? If one kid tests positive in the school, are we moving the entire class to a hotel room and isolate them for 14 days?
So much to talk about, this is why I will not be returning mine to classes anytime. This then shifts the discussion about what is the Plan B. Can we stay optional just like March?
Yao Chu, Burnaby
