The provincial government is taking action to protect students and teachers from COVID-19 and potential variants.
K-12 schools across the province are currently being shipped 100,000 rapid tests. Rapid testing for COVID-19 in schools may begin as early as this week.
"A rapid testing program in schools is another excellent tool to help monitor the presence of COVID-19," Education Minister Dustin Duncan said in a news release. "The safety of students, teachers, and school staff is our government's priority, and school staff and students have done an excellent job in helping to prevent transmission of the virus."
Teachers and school staff are not expected to administer the tests.
The rapid antigen tests use a short nasal swab and can be administered by someone who has completed a training program through the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) lab. Schools will work with their local medical health officers to determine when testing is appropriate. They will also communicate with parents and caregivers to ensure consent is in place.
A positive test requires confirmation by a Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test provided by the SHA. A negative test does not need to be confirmed as long as the individual has no symptoms of COVID-19.
