The NDP candidate in St. John's Centre is not happy to be proven right today. Jim Dinn says the current situation at a Mount Pearl school reflects all the warnings he and the province's teachers have made over the past months.
"The Liberals delayed by months the release of the board's plan for safely returning to school, they ignored concerns about ventilation and numbers of cleaning staff, they did not get promised Chromebooks to students in a timely fashion, and now we are looking at a school closed because of COVID-19 cases," Dinn said today.
He says the government's cavalier attitude has left tens of thousands of our students, teachers, staff and their families at risk. Dinn was vocal throughout last year with questions regarding school safety and government plans (or lack of plans) for continued learning in the event of an event such as the one ongoing now.
"I can only hope that the two people confirmed to be infected have a full and complete recovery, and that the virus has spread no further," he said.
Dinn added that the situation at the Mount Pearl school also underlines the folly of the Liberals calling a snap election in the middle of winter while the province is facing a pandemic.
"Of course there are concerns about polling stations being in schools," he said. "But at the core of things, we should all be focusing our attention on getting through this pandemic. This was not the time to dissolve government and head to the polls. We can -- and should -- do better."
-30-