The Windsor Essex County Health Unit (WECHU) says it will continue to work with the province and local school boards as we inch closer to kids being back in the classroom.
The provincial government released its outbreak protocol on Wednesday and local Medical Officer of Health Dr. Wajid Ahmed says no plan is 100 per cent safe.
"There is always a certain level of risk attached to it and again, everyone's risk tolerance is different and everyone's needs are different," he says. "Some people do not have the option to keep their children at home so they have to send their kids to school for studies."
If a student or staff member in a school does test positive, Dr. Ahmed says the health unit will work with the school board will do its part to make sure the level of risk is communicated to the necessary people.
"The understanding and expectation is, if there is a case which is reasonably acquired and spent some time in the class setting where there is potential exposure, then there will be some kind of notification and or if there is a confirmed case," he says.
What Dr. Ahmed says he doesn't want to see happen, is an over-abundance of notices.
"If we are sending too much information and alerts it will probably lose its value," he says. "So we want to make sure that when there is a risk, that risk is communicated and people are notified."
As part of the provincial plan, parents must screen children daily and they should not attend class if they have any symptoms of the virus.
If a child develops symptoms at school, teachers and principals will be asked to isolate the child and send the child home when as soon as a parent or guardian can pick them up.
Before returning to school, a child must be symptom-free for 24 hours and students with symptoms are recommended, but not required, to get a COVID-19 test to return to class.