The NLTA wants to know why schools in Harbour Breton remain open when Public Health officials are unsure of the source of two recent cases in the community.

President Dean Ingram says there is a real disparity between Public Health standards in place for students and teachers compared to other public services, workplaces and community spaces.

All residents of Harbour Breton are being encouraged to get tested for COVID-19, whether they are symptomatic or not.

Ingram points out that residents have also been discouraged from hosting gatherings, while schools remain open with little physical distancing and what he calls “weak or no mask requirements.”

He says schools are where all of the bubbles in communities come together and a “poorly ventilated classroom with 5 to 30 students without masks for extended periods…should not be the standard.”