Students and staff at three Newmarket and three East Gwillimbury schools are eligible for voluntary asymptomatic COVID-19 testing this week.
On May 27 and May 28, the York Region District School Board (YRDSB) is offering a testing clinic at Dr. J.M. Denison Secondary School on Bristol Road in Newmarket.
Students and staff from Alexander Muir Public School, Denne Public School, Maple Leaf Public School, Phoebe Gilman Public School, Holland Landing Public School, and Park Avenue Public School can get tested as long as they aren’t showing any symptoms of COVID-19.
Appointments are not required, but people are asked to fill in the registration form in advance and anyone under 18 years of age needs parental consent to get get tested.
This clinic, which operates outside of school hours, is part of a targeted testing initiative to provide an additional layer of protection in the school community.
Despite schools switching to online learning on April 19, YRDSB confirmed that asymptomatic testing is still taking place and said the community is making good use of these test centres.
Two other clinics are being run by the board on those same days this week.
The first is at Bur Oak Secondary School, which is open for students and staff from five Markham schools.
The second is at Thornlea Secondary School in Thornhill for staff and students from 12 schools in the area.
All three testing sites will be open from 3 to 5 p.m, 5:30 to 6:45 p.m, and 7 to 8 p.m. on Thursday, May 27 and Friday, May 28.
Increased access to asymptomatic and symptomatic testing is a key component of the Ministry of Education's re-opening plan.
Asymptomatic COVID-19 school testing results for 2021 can be accessed on the provincial website.
