COVID-19: Information on Nova Scotia schools with exposures now publicly available online

N.S. government answers call from parents to publicly report COVID-19 exposures in schools.

Dozens of Nova Scotia schools from Meteghan, to Annapolis Royal, have had COVID-19 exposures since in-person learning resumed just over two weeks ago.

The online list of schools with exposures has just been made available to the public following a recent decision by the provincial government.

“In doing both, providing transparency as well as resources, I think that the government will build trust in parents so that they can feel informed in making decisions,” said Brittany Snow, a parent of two children under 12.

Snow is one of the thousands of parents who have been calling on the province to bring back public reporting of exposures in schools.

The groundswell of parents wanting that information led to a citizen group, Nova Scotia Parents for Public Education, compiling reports of exposures in schools with information that was being conveyed to parents through teachers.

It’s all part of why Paul Wozney, president of the Nova Scotia Teachers Union, says he feels exposure notifications in schools should come openly and directly from the government.

“It’s going to restore a sense of transparency and accountability for information about public schools, and it’s going to ratchet down the anxiety and lack of trust that had been growing in recent days,” Wozney said.

According to the provincial government, extensive contact tracing is completed by Pubilc Health whenever there is a COVID-19 exposure in a school. A general notice is sent to the school with exposure through government channels and separate notices are sent to close contacts.