EXCERPTS
This petition outlines the need for access to rapid testing for unvaccinated children in Ontario, that can be done safely, at home, to keep COVID-19 out of our schools so our children can stay in our schools. We will be sending signatures to all MPPs, Ministers of Health, Education and the Premier of Ontario, at minimum:
WHEREAS we are parents, guardians and community members concerned about children in Ontario who are not yet eligible for vaccination against COVID-19;
AND WHEREAS we are in the midst of the 4th wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, with the highly transmissible Delta variant circulating in the community and threatening the health of our children, and the viability of maintaining open classes and schools;
AND WHEREAS it has been widely acknowledged that keeping Ontario schools open is critical for our children's mental health, safety and well-being;
AND WHEREAS rapid antigen testing is a safe and low-cost tool that can be deployed to detect pre-symptomatic and asymptomatic carriers of the virus and limit the spread of the virus;
AND WHEREAS the Ontario Government has made rapid antigen tests freely available to "businesses" and their "employees" staffed by vaccine-eligible and vaccinated adults;
AND WHEREAS this Government has stated that maintaining open schools is a priority, but has not made these tests available for the purpose of testing unvaccinated children;
AND WHEREAS schools and childcare centres in Ontario in areas of high COVID-19 transmission like Toronto should have the ability to access rapid tests for children not yet eligible for vaccination;
AND WHEREAS businesses and the economy have been continually prioritized during this pandemic, while children have been deprived of their right to a proper education, with constant school closures and disruptions to learning;
AND WHEREAS this Government has downloaded procurement of rapid antigen tests to parents and guardians, thereby increasing inequality of access to health and safety measures for communities that disproportionately bear the burden of impacts of COVID-19;
NOW THEREFORE we demand the Ontario Government provide immediate access to free rapid antigen tests for children born after 2009 in Ontario, in areas with high community spread of COVID-19, working with partners in education and health in communities with need, to help distribute them.