Ontario child-care operators are calling for access to PCR testing

TORONTO Ontario child-care operators and staff are calling on the provincial government to take steps to make daycares safer during the COVID-19 pandemic and to ensure the sector’s long-term viability.

One immediate step urged by the dozens of operators, labour groups and public health experts who signed a letter to the premier that was released Wednesday was to reinstate eligibility for PCR testing.

Late last year in response to a surge in Omicron cases, the province limited access to PCR testing to high-risk settings, which doesn’t include child-care centres or schools, except if a student or staff member develops symptoms while at school.

The child-care operators and staff say allowing access to PCR testing would mean centres could track cases and parents would only have to isolate at home with their child for one or two days in the event of a negative result, instead of five.

“We have the vast majority of our families who don’t have the privilege of being able to stay home with their children for another five days,” said Sheila Olan-maclean, a child-care operator and the president of the Ontario Coalition for Better Child Care. “It means the difference between having a job and not having a job to go back to.”

When asked if the province would consider giving children, families and staff in child-care access to PCR testing again, a spokesperson for Health Minister Christine Elliott pointed to comments the chief medical officer of health made last week.

“We’re regularly reviewing the criteria for PCR testing,” Dr. Kieran Moore said.

However, Moore said that, going forward, he wants to see a “balance” between PCR tests and rapid antigen tests.

Jessica Tomas, a registered early childhood educator, noted that, with no access to PCR testing, the government is also no longer reporting the numbers of COVID-19 cases in child-care centres.

“Working with unvaccinated and unmasked children, I’m overwhelmed daily by the pressure to keep everyone safe,” Tomas said.

The province announced earlier this month it was sending N95 masks for staff to all schools and child-care centres as Ontario contends with the highly infectious Omicron variant. It also said children in schools and daycares would get two rapid tests.

A government spokesperson has said an “ongoing and steady supply” of masks will be provided to daycares, but many operators say they’ve received only enough for a few days, or a week or two, with no indication when they will get more.