LILLEY: Ford government to delay March break

It’s this sort of behaviour the government is trying to head off at the pass by delaying the break.

When they do make the announcement, we can expect Lecce and Premier Doug Ford to lean heavily on the public health advice they’ve been given. I’m pretty sure Ford will say he’s just “listening to the docs!”

Whether he’ll be listening to parents remains to be seen. Haggard and frustrated over classes conducted over video conferencing, plenty of parents are excited about the return of in-class learning that begins this week and next. Those parents don’t want another break in the school calendar.

Others will want March break to happen as scheduled, citing the mental health benefits. Both sides have a valid argument, but in the end, Lecce and Ford will listen to the public health officials who will call for keeping kids in class and delaying the break.

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The provincial science table met on Tuesday afternoon to discuss a number of matters, including the return to school and March break. Members of the table have expressed concern that the break week will fall right in the middle of the time period when they fear the U.K. variant will surge.

For most of the province, the break is scheduled for the week of March 14, the very moment modelling suggests the UK variant will take off. The hope is that if the break can be delayed until April, or even better, May, it will help control the spread of the variant.

While no one expects COVID-19 to go away, the spread will lessen as the weather gets warmer, and we are all able to spend more time outside.