Dear Families,

The Provincial Government announced that K-12 classes will resume on January 4, 2022. As scheduled, “but in an online learning, virtual format.”

Updates will be provided each Thursday, beginning January 6, 2022, with respect to classes the following week.

As you know, schools and families have adjusted to virtual learning in the past, but each time they may encounter unique challenges. There will be inevitable glitches and connectivity issues, but it will get better as we go. Meanwhile, please take advantage of the NLESD with resources for families, students, and teachers, and reach out to your school administration if there are any issues.

Schools will prioritize in-school attendance and services beginning with those students not accessing the prescribed curriculum (alternate curriculum and alternate curricular courses).

Students in Grades 7-12 are expected to use their District-issued Chromebooks for online learning. However, to be clear, a student does not need a Chromebook to access online learning. For students in K-6, for example, online learning can be accessed through most personal laptops, tablets, desktop computers and smartphones.

The Newfoundland and Labrador English School District, along with your individual school administrators and staff, thank you in advance for your patience, understanding and support as we navigate this latest COVID-19 challenge together.

Effective immediately, all Nunatsiavut Government offices, including the Illusuak Cultural Centre in Nain, are closed to the general public until further notice. Exceptions will be made to ensure continued essential program and service delivery.

The closures are being implemented following Monday’s decision by the Chief Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Janice Fitzgerald, to place the entire province under COVID-19 Alert Level 4.

The Nunatsiavut Government is asking for the public’s cooperation during these difficult and uncertain times.

Labrador-Grenfell Health is advising individuals who visited the following locations to seek testing in keeping with public notifications for possible exposure:

Walmart, 500 Vanier Ave, Labrador City

Monday, December 20 from 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

The Well Bean Cafe, 222 Amherst Avenue, Labrador City

Monday, December 20 from 11:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

Eastern Health has cancelled all public health nursing programs from Tuesday, Dec 21st to the 24th except for urgent services to help with COVID response.

Anyone with a booked appointment for those days will be contacted by Public Health officials to reschedule.

COVID testing will be available as needed in the Eastern Health region throughout the holidays and Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day.

Another major delivery of COVID vaccines arrived in the province to help meet demand for boosters.

As of yesterday, some 24,000 people had received their booster shot, but many more are still waiting.

Health Minister John Haggie admits the province has had some difficulty securing its share of the federal supply, but that’s since been resolved and some 107,000 doses arrived in the province yesterday.

He says the delay has been caused by global supply issues involving the adult doses.

Newfoundland and Labrador’s new travel restrictions came into effect yesterday at 3 pm, and that’s causing headaches for travelers hoping to get home for the holidays.

The new restrictions require fully vaccinated travellers to isolate for five days and take rapid tests on each of those five days.

That doesn’t necessarily mean that those returning to the province have to isolate away from family members says Health Minister John Haggie. He says some families may choose to isolate together.

He says the arriving traveller must self-isolate. On arrival they will receive a box of five rapid test kits which they will have to administer—one each day—until the five days are over and all the tests come back negative, then they “can go about their business,” says Haggie. If the family decides to isolate together, then the same rules apply.

Meanwhile, Haggie says 811 and even 911 is “jammed” with calls from travellers trying to get information on what is required starting today.

He says the website has clear instructions on what is expected of travelers, and if there are further questions people can email healthinfo@gov.nl.ca.

The entire province is moving to Alert Level 3 as of midnight tonight.

This measure was taken on for the rising of COVID cases and concerns that the highly infectious Omicron variant could spread at even faster rates through the Christmas period.

The move to Alert level 3 will be reassessed on January 10.

Sixty new confirmed cases of COVID-19 have been reported since yesterday with outbreaks in Eastern, Central, and Western leaving 223 active cases.

Chief Medical officer Dr. Janice Fitzgerald says the decision to implement new public health measures was difficult to make but were necessary to keep COVID in check.

As of this morning 63 of the 223 cases have been confirmed or presumed as Omicron.

Fitzgerald says the province is continuing to monitor the spread and severity of illness associated with Omicron outbreaks in jurisdictions, leaving the greater restrictions to prevent further spread and take pressure off the health care system.

Alert Level 3 means all bars and lounges are now closed and gatherings must be limited to 20 of your steady, consistent contacts.

Fitzgerald is asking people to consider very carefully travelling to other areas of the province to gather with people who are not part of your regular circle of contacts.

The Department of Education, in consultation with Public Health, has advised the Newfoundland and Labrador English School District and the Francophone School District to suspend in-person classes for students two days early. The final day of classes will be Monday, December 20, 2021, and classes will resume on January 4, 2022.

While Public Health advises that it is safe for schools to remain open at this time, it has been determined that it is safer to undertake preparations for online learning now, due to uncertainty around the Omicron variant and the potential for disruptions in January.

While no decision has been made at this time on a shift to online learning, classes will resume on January 4 regardless of format. On Tuesday and Wednesday, schools will be open for educators and administrators, who are asked to treat these days as normal preparation days for a potential shift to online learning in the new year.

All students are asked to bring home any supplies they might need in the event of a shift to online learning in the new year. For students in Grades 7-12, this includes their Chromebook devices.

Any educator who is required to self-isolate as a result of recent direction from Public Health, will receive further follow-up communication from their administrator or the school district in the coming days to develop a plan for preparations and the resumption of classes.

Any students aged 5-11 who have COVID-19 vaccination appointments this week are advised that those appointments will still be available.

The provincial government is introducing new restrictions as a precaution against the fast-spreading Omicron variant of COVID-19.

Areas of Central Newfoundland will move to Alert Level 3 as of midnight Sunday, where government says there is a concerning amount of spread. That includes Badger, Gander, Grand Falls-Windsor and Twillingate, with a more specific breakdown on the government’s COVID website.

The rest of the province remains in Level 2.

Meanwhile, there are new travel restrictions as of 3 p.m. on Tuesday, requiring five days of isolation upon arrival.

The news was announced during an impromptu and rare Sunday afternoon briefing.

Officials hope they will help stem the spread of the most transmissible variant of COVID to date.

To that end, there are now nine confirmed and 34 presumptive cases of Omicron in the province, with a total of 61 new cases of COVID reported on Sunday.

OKalaKatiget Radio will be airing the first recorded Christmas Greetings from businesses.

Click here to hear OKalaKatiget Society’s President, Carol Gear, Nunatsiavut Government President Johannes Lampe, Nain’s AngajukKak, Joe Dicker and a few more, send their greetings.