BC health officials say there is no province-wide mask mandate for K-12 students

British Columbia’s top doctor said the province would not expand the COVID-19 mask mandate to include kindergarten to grade 3 school-aged children, after the Vancouver school board voted in that Sens.

Provincial health worker Dr Bonnie Henry said on Tuesday it is important to remember that schools still have “many layers of protection in place” and that masks are only one of those layers. Currently, only children in grades 4 to 12 are required to wear them.

Daily symptom control is always important, Henry added, as is skipping school when children are feeling sick and limiting mix-ups between classes of different grades.

The day before, school trustees in Vancouver became the first in British Columbia to extend the district’s mask mandate to include Kindergarten to Grade 3, citing parent stress.

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Vancouver School Board votes in favor of mandatory masks for all grades

Modeling data provided by British Columbia health officials on Tuesday showed that COVID-19 cases continued to increase in school-aged children after returning to school.

Data shows that in mid-September, 5-11 year olds lead the way for transmission.

As of this week, about 30 out of 100,000 children aged 9 to 11 have tested positive, as have 22 out of 100,000 children aged five to eight.

The second highest group is the 18 to 39 age group, at a rate of 15 in 100,000.

The province did not provide similar data for children four and under.

“The cases that we are seeing are much more likely to come from families where the adults in the family have not yet been vaccinated,” said Henry, “or (children are) exposed in settings where there are older children. or adults who are not yet immune.

The best way to protect children until a vaccine is developed for them is for every eligible person aged 12 and over to get vaccinated.

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