Despite BC’s provincial guidelines that only students Grades 4 through 12 wear masks, the Vancouver School Board has voted to extend their mask mandate to apply to children from kindergarten to Grade 3..The motion was presented by trustee Barb Parrott, who dismissed the argument that young children are unable to wear face coverings..“I dispute that assertion,” said Parrott..“We teachers teach and the parents teach children those ages to do lots of things, including crossing the street safely.”.The board has not clarified when the new policy will come into effect, but says more information will be provided in the coming days..“It doesn’t make sense to me to not have a mask mandate,” said Parrott, adding such measures are needed until children ages five and up can be vaccinated against COVID-19..Much like Parrott, the calls for children younger than 12 to get vaccinated against COVID-19 is growing rapidly, with some arguing it’s legal to do so without parental consent..“The Infants Act, which explains the legal position of children under 19 years of age, indicates that there is no legal age of consent for health care in BC,” writes Monika Naus, Medical Director, Communicable Diseases & Immunization Service, BC Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC)..The Infants Act says a minor’s ability to consent is not relative to their age, but rather their level of maturity. The arbiter of said child’s maturity is shifted from family to state under the act, as a health care provider will determine whether the minor is mature, not the parents or guardians..The COVID-19 vaccine consent form for “mature minors” can be viewed here, although the province says the forms are “optional” and not a requirement for youth to get their COVID-19 vaccines..Reid Small is a BC correspondent for the Western Standard.,rsmall@westernstandardonline.com,.Twitter.com/reidsmall
Despite BC’s provincial guidelines that only students Grades 4 through 12 wear masks, the Vancouver School Board has voted to extend their mask mandate to apply to children from kindergarten to Grade 3..The motion was presented by trustee Barb Parrott, who dismissed the argument that young children are unable to wear face coverings..“I dispute that assertion,” said Parrott..“We teachers teach and the parents teach children those ages to do lots of things, including crossing the street safely.”.The board has not clarified when the new policy will come into effect, but says more information will be provided in the coming days..“It doesn’t make sense to me to not have a mask mandate,” said Parrott, adding such measures are needed until children ages five and up can be vaccinated against COVID-19..Much like Parrott, the calls for children younger than 12 to get vaccinated against COVID-19 is growing rapidly, with some arguing it’s legal to do so without parental consent..“The Infants Act, which explains the legal position of children under 19 years of age, indicates that there is no legal age of consent for health care in BC,” writes Monika Naus, Medical Director, Communicable Diseases & Immunization Service, BC Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC)..The Infants Act says a minor’s ability to consent is not relative to their age, but rather their level of maturity. The arbiter of said child’s maturity is shifted from family to state under the act, as a health care provider will determine whether the minor is mature, not the parents or guardians..The COVID-19 vaccine consent form for “mature minors” can be viewed here, although the province says the forms are “optional” and not a requirement for youth to get their COVID-19 vaccines..Reid Small is a BC correspondent for the Western Standard.,rsmall@westernstandardonline.com,.Twitter.com/reidsmall
