WELLINGTON COUNTY – As COVID-19 trends appear to be on the mend, students will once again be allowed to resume extracurricular activities.
In a Feb. 10 address to the province, chief medical officer of health Dr. Kieran Moore announced all extracurricular activities would be allowed to resume after a temporary pause during the Omicron surge.
With positive trends and strong safety measures in place, Moore said Ontario students can “once again benefit from extracurricular activities,” including high-contact sports and musical activities such as choir and wind instrument ensembles – effective immediately.
“These activities are critical for the physical, social and mental well-being of our children and youth, and I’m pleased that we are now at a point where students in Ontario will once again be able to access these activities within a school setting,” he remarked.
He added students and other participants are still required to wear a mask while on school premises but may temporarily remove their face covering where necessary.
On behalf of the Upper Grand District School Board (UGDSB) and the Wellington Catholic District School Board (WCDSB), UGDSB spokesperson Heather Loney explained all extracurricular activities were paused prior to the winter break as COVID-19 numbers continued to climb.
Since returning to in-person learning, Loney said the boards have been following the temporary measures outlined by the ministry.
“The UGDSB and WCDSB received updated guidance from the Ministry of Education on Thursday regarding the resumption of inter-school athletics and extracurricular activities,” the joint statement read.
“We are currently working together, with our staff and our partners, including [Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph] Public Health, to finalize plans and will share information with our school communities early next week.”
