One of the province’s top pediatricians is supporting the province’s move for children to return to the classroom.

Prior to the announcement that children in the K-12 system would resume in-person learning on Tuesday, Dr. Jeffrey Critch, a pediatrician at the Janeway Children’s Hospital and the Newfoundland and Labrador representative for the Canadian Pediatric Society, expressed his support for Government’s planned to return.

Dr. Critch says it is important to get children back in the classroom, as at this point in the pandemic, the risks of the social isolation and increased screen time children are facing outweighs the risks of COVID for that age group.

He says they are seeing an alarming increase in unhealthy behaviors in children and youth, which is leading to more depression, anxiety, suicidality, eating disorders, and delayed development. He says schools, however, help mitigate a lot of these issue.

He says schools introduce things such as social interaction, physical activity, brain development, and food security, and now with many children and teachers vaccinated, their are many strategies they are implementing to keep schools safe.