The school year starts up next week after the Labour Day long weekend.
This won’t be a normal year, from mask mandates to extra cleaning protocols, and social distancing when possible, COVID has made things tough.
In this article, we’ll take a look at what you need to know heading into the school year in regards to wearing masks.
Where are masks required?
Masks are mandatory in schools for students in Grades 4 to 12, as well as for staff and visitors when physical distancing of two metres isn’t possible.
The province has also made masks mandatory for everyone on school buses.
In the situation of a grade 3/4 split class, all students in the class should wear masks.
Masks are optional for students in grades 3 and under and will be left up to the parents/guardians/caregivers to decide whether their child will wear a mask.
How many masks should my kid have?
School divisions have been provided with masks from the provincial government to supply staff and students that need masks. Despite school divisions having masks, it’s recommended that students have their own masks. It’s advised that a student has multiple masks so they can change masks in the middle of the day. Masks should also be changed when they become damp or soiled.
If the student doesn’t have a mask, it’ll be provided to them upon arrival at school or when entering a school bus.
What are the best mask hygiene practices?
Wearing a mask properly is critical to having the benefits. When masks are not worn properly, they will not prevent the spread of COVID-19 to others and may also put the person wearing them at greater risk of infection.
Before putting on or taking off a mask wash your hands.
When taking off a mask, it’s advised that you place the used mask in a clearly labelled container or bag for cleaning at a later time. If it is a disposable mask, it should go directly into the garbage.
Don’t touch your mask or face while wearing masks
Don’t share masks with others.
Don’t dangle the mask from one ear, or pull it below your nose or mouth so it’s only covering your chin.
Change masks as soon as they become damp or soiled.
Reusable masks must be washed after each use in the laundry machine’s hot water cycle and then thoroughly dried.
Why should masks be worn?
Wearing a non-medical mask is a tool that, in addition to practising public health fundamentals, may help prevent spreading COVID-19 to others, especially in indoor public spaces such as schools, if physical distancing cannot be maintained.
Wearing a nonmedical mask does not protect the person wearing the mask, but it may help to protect the people around them.
People release respiratory droplets by sneezing, coughing, spitting, heavy breathing, singing, or talking. COVID-19 spreads mainly through close contact (within two metres or six feet) with an infected person’s respiratory droplets.
When worn properly, a person wearing a mask at school or on school buses may reduce the chance of their own respiratory droplets spreading to others or landing on surfaces.
People may also get COVID-19 by touching a surface that has been contaminated by the virus and then touching their mouth, eyes, or nose.
For more information on mask-wearing in schools in Manitoba, click here.
