The following is an open letter to the Board of Algoma Public Health provided to SooToday by Vicky Evans of Pine Street in Sault Ste. Marie:
I am writing to you today to implore you to do what our provincial government has failed to do and frankly refused to do since day one of this pandemic; put measures in place in our schools and hospitals to protect the health and safety of Algoma citizens.
Now, I recognize that your power to make change is limited by the fact that public health, schools, and hospitals are funded (under-funded) by our provincial government but there are things that you can do.
1. Mandate vaccination of ALL healthcare workers and ALL employees of school boards.
2. Mandate vaccination of all students (once vaccine is approved) as a requirement to attend school in Algoma.
3. Make free rapid tests available to everyone and especially to parents for regular testing of their children.
4. Test the air quality within our schools and healthcare centres (hospitals, LTC, clinics, etc.) and require that CO2 levels be at a reasonably safe standard.
5. Provide N95 masks to ALL school and healthcare workers. If this is not feasible for financial reasons then please encourage and allow all school and healthcare workers to wear their own KN95/N95 masks.
6. Communicate to parents that KN95/N95 masks are the best protection available for their children and make the medical masks now provided to workers available for use by students.
7. Publicly acknowledge to Algoma residents that COVID 19 is an airborne virus and recommend public safety measures that reflect this fact.
COVID 19 is at an all-time high in Algoma and its presence in our schools is increasing. Unless and until all of our children are vaccinated against this potentially life-altering and deadly virus it is your responsibility to do everything possible to protect them. Please take action now.