Two BC school boards taking mask rules into their hands

Two BC school boards are taking mask rules into their hands.

Vancouver was the first to say it would expand its mask mandate for children from kindergarten to Grade 3 and Surrey's board followed suit yesterday.

The BC Teachers Federation is calling for a provincewide mask mandate for those grades after provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry left those children out of her order in March.

Beginning Monday, October 4th the district's current COVID-19 mask mandate will be expanded to include all students in the district from kindergarten to Grade 12. Masks are an effective layer of protection, in concert with other measures, and we are pleased to be able to take these steps.

BC reported 813 new cases of COVID-19 yesterday, while 11 more people have died, pushing the death toll to 1,953.

Surrey schools on Twitter:

Surrey Board of Education works to strengthen COVID protocols in schools, including mandating masks for all students in kindergarten to Grade 12: https://surreyschools.ca/NewsEvents/Posts/Lists/Posts/Post.aspx?ID=1154