Dear Editor,
Firstly, this letter is not intended as criticism of the volunteers who distributed COVID-19 rapid antigen tests to the general public in Hope and Agassiz last week.
Teachers and parents have been calling for rapid testing in schools since the beginning of the pandemic. Minister Dix says this is now a pandemic “of the unvaccinated”. It is precisely this segment of the population - which includes children aged 5-11 who have not been able to be vaccinated - that should have access to these tests.
Instead, only those who happened to see a post the day before on social media, who were available and able to stand outside in a line-up could get a box of tests.
Some good decisions have been made during this pandemic. The lack of rapid testing in schools is not one of them.
Lynne Marvell
President
Fraser-Cascade Teachers’ Association