Only a select few schools across southern Ontario will return to in-person learning next week.
In an announcement on Wednesday, the province confirmed only seven public health units, including Grey Bruce Public Health, are permitted to reopen schools for in-person classes again on January 25. This means most parents in southwestern Ontario will see their children continue their studies virtually from home.
Only students with special learning needs will continue to attend in-school instruction.
While there is no clear date as to when the rest of the province will be heading back into schools, Education Minister Stephen Lecce says stricter measures are already being implemented for when the time comes.
"To ensure schools remain safe, the government is introducing additional measures including provincewide targeted asymptomatic testing, enhanced screening, mandatory masking for students in Grades 1-3 and outdoors where physical distancing cannot be maintained," Lecce said in a release.
The education minister added that the government will continue to support families during the school closures.
Child care facilities will remain open and available for non-school aged children across the province. While elementary schools are closed, before and after school programs are prohibited from charging parents fees. Emergency child care will also be extended to support front-line workers during this period.
Back in December, the government announced that schools would be closed to in-person learning for the first week of classes following the winter break. The closure was then extended to January 25 for southern Ontario while students in northern Ontario returned to physical classes on January 11.
On January 12, the government then declared a state of emergency and extended online learning for schools in five hot spots in the greater Toronto area, including Windsor-Essex until at least February 10.