The province’s Chief Medical Officer says school closures are a top discussion at this time.

Many of the regions that are closing schools are doing so because people are travelling back from their March break, and the two-week closure is to wait out the incubation period to ensure children are not in school while contagious.

That’s not the case here in Newfoundland and Labrador.

Dr. Janice Fitzgerald says schools are aware of ways to reduce mass-gatherings. She says every school’s situation is different, and social distancing measures have to be left up to the school district and individual schools to determine the safest way to go.

When making decisions on things like closing schools, Dr. Fitzgerald says they have to consider when it will have the most impact. If it’s triggered too early, kids will be out of school for a long period of time, and it may not have the intended results.

She says the other thing to remember, is that someone has to look after children when they’re not in school.

The CMO says some may end up with grandparents taking care of children, putting them in a higher risk category. She says there a lot of considerations to put into place, and it isn’t as easy as saying “let’s close all the schools.”