I am greatly concerned that once again the Ontario government is slow in acting to prepare schools for a safe and timely reopening in September.

One of the controversial recommendations issued by the ST – not supported by RNAO – is its position on masking, physical distancing and cohorting, which the ST refers to as “temporary measures” to be implemented at the health unit level according to the conditions present. The conditions present refer to the COVID-19 disease burden that in their view must be taken into consideration, such as student age, grade, and vaccination status. Social media posts suggested the ST report called for an end to masks and physical distancing at schools. When reading the report it becomes clear that is a misrepresentation, and the ST position is more nuanced than that. Nonetheless, RNAO strongly disagrees with any discussion of ditching the masks or any nuanced approach at this time.

The Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario (RNAO) has launched a new #FullyVaccinated social media campaign to encourage everyone to receive both doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, and is calling for mandatory vaccination for health-care workers in contact with patients.

“Ontario, Canada and many places around the world are facing highly contagious COVID-19 variants. The best defence to beat this virus is to get vaccinated and encourage everyone around you to receive both doses of the vaccine,” says RNAO President Morgan Hoffarth. “We call on all Ontarians, Canadians and everyone around the world to join us in our #FullyVaccinated social media campaign to stop the spread of COVID-19 once and for all.”

In today’s report I focus on long-haul COVID – a major aspect of the COVID-19 pandemic that has not received the attention it deserves.

RNAO congratulates RoseAnne Archibald for her historic election as National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations. National Chief Archibald becomes the first woman to lead the Assembly.

The government announced today an earlier reopening of the province to step 3. The news did not come as a surprise given the successful vaccination rollout and decreased hospitalization rates. In several media interviews I expressed that although the five day advanced reopening is not a major concern, the lack of capacity restrictions in indoor activities is.