As Provinces and Territories finalize their rollout plans for the COVID-19 vaccines, the Canadian Teachers' Federation (CTF/FCE) calls on governments across the country to include teachers and education workers on the vaccine priority list.
Every day teachers and education workers put themselves at risk of exposure. They are in close contact with students and other adults, indoors, for many hours at a time, every day, usually with poor ventilation. Even if schools try to maintain social distance, the reality is that sufficient physical distancing to prevent transmission of the COVID virus is not possible in many classrooms and schools.
What is more, students under the age of 16 have so far not been authorized to be vaccinated. Therefore, unlike most other professionals under consideration for the priority list, teachers and education workers will be exposed daily to groups of individuals who do not have immunity against this deadly disease.
"Given how essential it is that school buildings remain open for all students to learn to the best of their ability and for the economy to recover, and considering the actual working conditions for teachers and education workers, it is imperative that teachers and education workers be prioritized to receive the Coronavirus vaccine," says CTF/FCE President Shelley L. Morse.
While provincial and territorial governments will ultimately decide their own priorities, the Canadian Teachers' Federation implores all levels of government to ensure teachers and education workers are next in line, after vulnerable populations and health care workers. Canada's economy and our children's future depend on it.
