Hamilton schools among those moving to remote learning starting Wednesday until at least Jan. 17

Hamilton schools are among those in Ontario that will be closing down after all.

Premier Doug Ford announced Monday that remote learning will be in place until at least Jan. 17 across the province, which will offer free emergency child-care for health-care workers and some front-line workers in the meantime.

"I know this isn't the news anyone wants to hear, but with the new variant, the ground is shifting every day," he said during a Monday news conference.

"Operating schools and ensuring teachers are on the job and not home sick will be a challenge we can not overcome in the short term."

He said the two-week gap would allow for more time for people to get vaccinated and more time to fend off a "tsunami" of new cases and hospitalizations.

Last Thursday, the province said schools would reopen Jan. 5 instead of Jan. 3.

Memos from the Ministry of Education also said the province would stop reporting COVID-19 cases in schools and child-care settings.

The return-to-school plan was met with relief, trepidation and many questions.

Some students were excited to see friends again, but also concerned they may get infected.

"As much as we want a normal life and a normal high school experience, we're willing to sacrifice another month if that means keeping everyone safe and healthy," Grade 11 student Paige Wallace told CBC Hamilton last week.

Education unions and staff said they were worried about the safety of schools.

"You have a classroom full of students eating lunch every day without their masks on. And if this variant is so contagious, how do you expect this not to spread in schools?" Nick de Koning, president of the local Ontario English Catholic Teacher's Association, said on Thursday.

School boards were scrambling to communicate to families, receive more N95 masks and more HEPA filter units.

They, like Hamilton Public Health Services, were in support of keeping schools open.