March Break delayed until April 12

The Ontario government has announced that this year’s March Break will be delayed.

“In support of our collective efforts to keep schools safe, we are postponing March break until April 12-16, 2021,” said a statement from Minister of Education Stephen Lecce. “This decision was made with the best advice of Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer of Health and public health officials, including consultations with many local Medical Officers of Health.”

According to Kingston Frontenac Lennox & Addington (KFL&A) Public Helath, local Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Kieran Moore did not consult with the province on this topic, and had no statement to offer on the subject Thursday afternoon.

Lecce said it was critical to avoid a repeat of the spike in youth-related cases of COVID-19 that took over the winter break, when students and staff were out of schools for a prolonged period of time.

“We appreciate the hard work of students and staff in the education sector and I want to be clear: March break is being postponed, not cancelled,” Lecce said.

“To keep schools open, we must keep them free of COVID-19,” he added. “The actions announced today serve to limit opportunities for congregation – while reaffirming the evidence that schools are safe for students. By continuing to follow public health advice, and by introducing additional safety measures and more testing, we are supporting our collective efforts to keep COVID-19 from entering our schools.”