Canadian provinces report rise in COVID-19 cases as students return to class

OTTAWA. KAZINFORM Multiple provinces in Canada reported COVID-19 cases linked to schools just as thousands more students returned to class Tuesday, raising fears about a possible new outbreak of the coronavirus.

The fallout from earlier openings in Ontario, Quebec, Alberta and Saskatchewan cast a shadow over giddy reunions and hopes for a quick return to normal as more elementary, junior and high school students tested pandemic precautions that have touched nearly every aspect of school life, Xinhua reports.

Early Tuesday, Ontario announced a «pause» of four weeks on any further loosening of public health measures in the province because «the latest trends in numbers have raised some concern, especially as we begin to reopen schools and post-secondary institutions.»

«We are really concentrating on getting all of our students back to school safely and having them remain healthy but the reality is that spread in the community will also likely mean spread in the schools, so we need to limit the spread in the community as much as possible,» Ontario Health Minister Christine Elliott said.

Elliott said the pausing of restrictions means Ontario won't allow for things like expanded social circles, expanded gathering sizes and greater increases in the number of people allowed to attend sports events.