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NWT’s top doctor advises schools close until after Easter

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NWT’s chief public health officer Kami Kandola has advised schools to close until after Easter on April 12, Premier Caroline Cochrane told MLAs Monday.

The decision to follow Kandola’s recommendation now rests with the territory’s various educational authorities to close schools in coming weeks. Meanwhile, Education, Culture, and Employment Minister RJ Simpson will teleconference with the authorities to discuss the move and how it will affect staff and students, Cochrane said.

Daycares and day centres won't be closed as of now, health minister Diane Thom confirmed to MLAs later Monday morning. That's in contrast to Alberta's decision to close daycares and all schools.

As of Monday morning, there are no COVID-19 cases in NWT. On Monday, Nunavut cancelled its schools for three weeks.

The territorial government had previously refrained from advising schools to close.

Kam Lake MLA Caitlin Cleveland later asked if the school year could be extended to make up for lost weeks.

"I don't want to abandon this school year," Simpson said in response, explaining he didn't want physical closures to flatly halt education.

He added that there are different options at play: students in the South Slave who haven't had break yet, for example, may be able to go without a spring break. Meanwhile, students who are set to graduate should be able to do so, he said.

"I want to ensure that our grads, people who can graduate, are able to graduate, and I want to ensure that we don't allow our students to fall further behind by just giving up on their education for the rest of this year," he said.

As for residents in post-secondary schools out of NWT, Simpson said GNWT would work with students to provide earlier travel home funds.

While some students may choose to stay, he said, "some who have the ability to complete their entire courses online might want to come back home." The government will be communicating with these students in the near future.

The Mondau updates from Simpson reflected a quickly evolving story as schools and institutions scrambled to adapt to the virus.

Inuvik Twin Lakes MLA Lesa Semmler and Nunakput MLA Jackie Jacobson both asked about school plans Friday, asking for an extension of students’ spring break, which began for most last Friday.

Simpson told the MLAs at the time that it wasn't being advised and that district education authorities and councils only have the power to close schools for public safety. He didn’t have the authority to unilaterally close schools, he said.