Those of us who are “more mature” than others (ie., older …) are not the only ones who can hark back to the “good old days” of when a new school year started.
Because of the madness of COVID, even last year will seem like a very nice, warm fuzzy memory compared to what this year is shaping up to be. The good thing is, schools are back in session starting the day after Labour Day.
School has already started in places like Alberta and Quebec, and in the States, some schools went back into class for a couple of months already (presumably to make up for lost time from the lockdowns).
Some children already have anxiety issues about school in “normal” times, with worries about bullies, new teachers, new subjects, a new classroom, etc., etc.
Now, with a pandemic in the air, we can compound that with worries about having to wear a mask, and whether they will get COVID.
Barring that, if a child gets an “ordinary” cold with sneezing and a stuffy nose, the automatic response of everyone in the class and of teachers will be, ‘has this kid got COVID?’
I think in some ways, the fear of COVID has been blown up way, way out of proportion, but part of that is due to the fear of the unknown. This is a virus we still don’t know a whole lot about and for which there is no vaccine available yet.
Add to that the stories of how hard this virus can hit you. Yes, it can kill you, and that scares people as it is particularly nasty if you have any underlying health conditions, or your immune system has been compromised in any way.
Unfortunately, the national media tend to sometimes have a mob mentality about these things, and are now ramping up the fear around COVID by pushing for mandatory mask-wearing in situations where it really isn’t warranted.
If you are in a situation where physical distancing is not always going to be possible, then sure, wear a mask — but it shouldn’t be mandatory outside of that situation.
Schools are a different situation altogether, as you will have younger-to-older children all under one roof, separated into their classes for hours at a time. There will be times when children will need to wear a mask, but there are going to be times when they shouldn’t need to, such as when they go outside in the fresh air to play at recess.
Meanwhile, everyone is trying to navigate their lives through this time and hope that they don’t catch the dreaded coronavirus.
Saskatchewan is in a bit of a bubble right now, as provinces around us are seeing upsurges in the numbers of new COVID cases while our numbers are very low. I suppose the bottom line is, we’d like to keep it that way, and for our children to stay safe and healthy.
