COVID Update (from April 2022 DPAC Newsletter published on April 1, 2022)

• Dr. William P. Bahnfleth, chair of the ASHRAE Epidemic Task Force will discuss how engineering controls can make schools in British Columbia safer from the airborne transmission of COVID. Sign up to attend this Zoom webinar which will occur at noon on April 12, 2022
   
• Although No Longer Required, Vancouver Secondary Students Will Be Wearing Masks After Spring Break — The Griffins’ Nest
   
• International review says B.C. was ‘reluctant’ to follow evidence of COVID-19’s airborne transmission — CTV News
   
• Trustee Jennifer Reddy requests a “full report” from school medical officer on “efficacy of continued mask use” —  Georgia Straight
   
• Vancouver Family Physician and Protect Our Province BC‘s, Dr. Brenda Hardie, and Safe Schools Coalition‘s Burnaby teacher Jennifer Heighton and VSB parent Kyenta Martins joined a Monday Night Covid Conversation and discussed the Omicron variants, and layers of protection including masks, vaccinations and cleaning the air in schools. Watch the video, or view the notes from the presentation, with links
   
• Should your kid still wear a mask at school? — Today’s Parent Magazine
   
• The Mask Nerd is an aerosol scientist who has tested masks extensively and presents his findings on Youtube
   
• Cleaner air is being provided to students and staff across the world to lessen the spread of COVID19 in schools. In these cash-strapped school times, insufficient air-cleaning systems in place are augmented with simple DIY boxes created using duct tape, Merv13 filters and a box fan. Currently in Vancouver, these boxes are being used in doctors practices, offices and homes when someone is infected and others are still hoping to avoid transmission. To date, VSB schools have not allowed these boxes to be put into place, despite mounting evidence of their effectiveness
   
• From the 3M corporate site: 3M scientists: This Corsi-Rosenthal box movement is legit
  • “The movement has stretched across the globe and is gaining traction with public health officials in the US. The California Department of Public Health recently listed the Corsi-Rosenthal box on their webpage about COVID-19 and Improving Indoor Air Quality in Schools. Co-collaborators on the box, Jim Rosenthal, and Dr. Richard Corsi, encourage all to participate and to put their own artistic spin on the design.”
     
• Finally, here is a poster about safety in schools from OzSage out of Australia for us all to consider:
  

COVID and the Human Rights of Vulnerable Students

The Office of the BC Human Rights Commissioner sent a letter to the Public Health Office and the Government of BC, with regards to the end of the Mask Mandate, and vulnerable populations, including at-risk students, who are being forced to either compromise their health and safety for their education, or their education for their health and safety

The government responded that they have especially focused their attention on vulnerable populations, however these populations have been clear that they are not experiencing this claim. Safe Schools Coalition, for example, is calling ofr the mask mandate to be put back into place at schools

Several human rights complaints have, or are in the process of being filed with the Human Rights Commission at this time. Watch the video that this office put out to ensure BC Citizens understand our human rights, especially at times of crisis

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COVID-19 Daily Health Check Guide

• Arabic
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TED-Ed Lessons about COVID （Cartoons）

TED关于新冠病毒的科普动画

https://ed.ted.com/search?qs=COVID

Surrey Teachers ask for mask wearing in classrooms
(English, Mandarin, Punjabi, Tagalog, Hindi, Korean, Spanish, Croatian & Cantonese)

For Kids: Why Do I Have to Wear a Face Mask?

This animated video helps young children understand how face masks can keep them and loved ones safe against the spread of COVID-19 and the proper way to put on and take off a mask. They also learn what else they can do while at school to help prevent the spread of germs.

给孩子讲解口罩的重要性和示范如何正确佩戴

CDC – How to wear masks and why we wear masks

CDC关于口罩的科普

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/diy-cloth-face-coverings.html

How to wash your hands/choose hand soap

正确洗手和选择洗手液的视频