Unions representing teachers in Windsor-Essex say expanding who qualifies for a COVID-19 vaccine is a step in the right direction, but more work is needed to make schools safe again.
The province announced youth between 12 and 17 years of age and their family members will be eligible for their first dose of the Pfizer vaccine starting on May 31.
Joe Brannagan is the local secondary president for the Ontario English Catholic Teachers Association and he says there are still some unanswered questions with September coming faster than people might think.
"How long is going to take to get two shots? It's still up in the air as to what impact this will have for September, but over a longer range from that, it's a step in the right direction," he says.
Mario Spagnolo, the local president for the Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario, says getting students and staff fully vaccinated is only one-step towards safer schools.
"That is one layer of protection that will assist in bringing back in-person learning, but it doesn't replace some of the other safety concerns we have been advocating for since last year," he added.
Spagnolo says the province still refuses to address class sizes and existing gaps in COVID-19 prevention measures.
"Enhanced medical masks for education workers; they haven't done that across the system," he says. "As well for Kindergarten students, they're still not required to have masks and that's an issue."
Ontario Premier Doug Ford's announced the two week extension to the province's stay-home-order will be dedicated to vaccinating as many teachers and students as possible on Thursday.
Earlier this month, Health Canada announced the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine is safe to give to children ages 12 and up. The authorization was based on the results of Pfizer-BioNTech's Phase 3 clinical trial involving 2,260 adolescents aged 12 to 15.
Premier Ford said schools across Ontario would continue virtual learning until a "consensus" is reached between public health doctors, teachers and labour partners.