Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said she will not support school boards reinstating mask requirements amid an uptick in respiratory virus cases. .“We’ve heard loud and clear from parents that they want a normal school environment for their kids,” said Smith at a Monday press conference .“We’re going to let kids be kids.” .Smith said anyone who feels comfortable to wear a mask should. She said it should “be a personal choice, and anyone who wants to make that choice, I support them.” .She went on to say there are a number of respiratory viruses circulating, and the shortage of children’s pain medication is worsening it. If parents are unable to have the drugs to treat fevers at home, they will go to hospital waiting rooms. .Smith called hospital wait times “unacceptably long.” She said this is why she will be announcing reforms to Alberta Health Services to address this issue. .The premier said the last two years have made people more sensitive about keeping their kids home when sick. Immunologists and virologists recommend children stay home when they are sick, and she congratulated parents for taking this advice. .She said the Alberta government will have full authority when it comes to offering advice to school boards about masking. .“We still have a few difficult months to get through respiratory virus season, but I am going to do what I can to make sure that they have the medications that they need, and that heaven forbid, if anyone needs to go to the hospital, they are not waiting an excessively long period of time to have their child seen,” she said. .This announcement comes after Ontario Chief Medical Officer Dr. Kieran Moore asked people on Monday to wear masks, but he did not go as far as mandating it for the province..READ MORE: Ontario's top doctor recommends masking amid 'triple threat' of COVID, flu and RSV."What we are facing is a triple threat that requires our collective action to protect the most vulnerable in our communities," said Moore. .He said the Ontario healthcare system is facing pressure from COVID-19, influenza and respiratory syncytial virus. He recommends wearing masks, especially around old, young, and immunocompromised people.
