Back-to-School and the Flu: What could it bring?

Returning to school for our children feels uncertain and dangerous. What might happen if a child in school gets COVID-19? Will school boards be able to handle kids with mask wearing, social distancing and regular hand sanitizing? If all of us, including the children, take it seriously we should be able to get through this year without too much interruption.

If there is one thing that is worrying most Albertans, its kids going back to school. I know I have reservations about our two boys going into a crowded social environment ripe with all kinds of little nasty bugs. The start of the school year is usually when kids get sick for the first time and the seasonal flu begins its annual march through society.

How are schools really going to stop the spread of all viruses to protect our children and keep society functioning and operational? There are some positive signs that they might be able to handle this situation. Rates of infection are relatively low in Canada, even if we have seen some upticks lately in Alberta. Mask wearing seems to work in stopping the spread, and Calgary’s infection numbers are going down from the highs we saw in the Spring. Meanwhile, Edmonton is the new hot spot in Alberta. This is a good indicator that mandatory mask wearing actually works. So, most children will be required to wear a mask all day while in classes and they are supposed to socially distance from others. Goodbye physical education classes and contact sports.

And, what happens when we get a case of COVID-19 confirmed in a school? Firstly, I strongly hope that the school officials and the board of education will immediately inform all families in the school of an outbreak. We should be prepared for localized school shutdowns when a confirmed case is made public. I expect that all children, and probably their families, will have to go through mandatory testing for the virus. Once containment is achieved, the school could reopen. That would be at least a week.

Be prepared for at least one interruption to your work/life balance due to school safety measures. The one thing we can all do to help our children get through this weird year is stress the importance of following the rules. Downplaying them, being loose with how we behave, will encourage children to flaunt the mask wearing and social distancing guidelines. This opens the school up to possible infection, and then we might be forced into quarantine situations until an “all clear” signal goes out. This is not a great situation if you’re trying to get back to work and onto a normal schedule.

Does COVID-19 spread like the normal flu or cold? If we look to the increased infections in the Southern Hemisphere over the summer (their winter) we have seen serious outbreaks in Latin America, South Africa, Mexico, and more. We will have to be extra vigilant to control the spread of the virus during the long, dark winter months where we primarily spend our time indoors.

There is always a silver lining in any situation. In this situation, I see two:

• Firstly, all these precautions we are taking will not only help prevent the spread of COVID-19, it will also help prevent the spread of more common illnesses that plague our lives. Far fewer children will get a regular cold or flu this year. Even less time will have to be taken off work to nurse sick children back to health.
• Secondly, there are online learning options for families who don’t want to send kids back into the classroom. If you’ve signed up for these options, like we have done for our oldest son, there are some great benefits. My son has learning challenges and the large classroom is a place to get lost in the shuffle. He had not been performing well in class. However, last semester he was home, and due to the hard work my wife put in with him, he really began to excel. One-on-one training, which is un-affordable in public school, can be achieved with home schooling and a dedicated parent. Not everyone has the time or patience to do this or can afford to have one parent stay home for this reason, but it has worked for our son. With that said, we will try it again for one more semester.

Stay safe with your children returning to school and hopefully everyone will be cautious and follow the rules so we all can get through this without too much trouble.

Planning for unexpected events is key in times like these. Call my office @ 403-212-1111 or email me at [email protected] to book in with myself or my associate to discuss how you can plan for unexpected events in the future.