Burlington dad says direction is inconsistent for kids who encounter COVID-19 at school

A Burlington father whose daughter had to self-isolate says guidance to his family was muddled and confusing, and he got different direction from local and provincial public health agencies.

Now, he says the rules need to be clearer for families with kids in school classes where someone has tested positive for COVID-19.

Jordan Palmer says he was told that his five-year-old daughter was a high-risk contact to a positive COVID-19 case last Saturday. Over the next few days, Palmer said, he received changing end-dates for her self-isolation time and conflicting information as to whether the rules applied to everyone in his household.

"This is just such a departure from the really high level service I've come to expect from the government of Ontario," he said.

"You think you're good to go, but if you don't clarify that, according to someone else, you're offside."

On Feb. 6, Halton Region Public Health sent information to affected families of his daughter's Burlington Montessori school, which said close contacts must self-isolate until Feb. 20. 

But on a call with Public Health Ontario two days later, Palmer said the representative was "adamant" that isolation would end on Feb. 17. 

Concerned about breaking the rules, or receiving a ticket, Palmer reached out to the Halton unit. He received a new date of Feb. 17 in an email, but also a call saying Feb. 20.

"If other people are being subjected to that, it might make them less likely to comply, or even less likely to understand what this framework is that they have to follow," he said. 

Provincial and municipal public health investigating

Public Health Ontario (PHO) said local health units enter information on contacts into a provincial data system, which is used by their contact tracers. The information is regularly updated as investigations continue, and "it is possible for details to change as more information becomes available."

"PHO understands it can be frustrating to receive conflicting information and we regret any confusion this may have caused. We are investigating this further to better understand what happened," it said. 

Halton Region Public Health said it's also investigating to figure out what occurred. It said concerned parents can connect with the public health team at 311.

Neither agency disclosed how frequently people receive changing information. 

Palmer says he's made a complaint to Ontario's Ombudsman, and he'll talk with a resolution officer on Friday.

Who do the rules apply to?

Palmer, who is a lawyer, stressed the importance of clear communication, especially when families are struggling and can't afford to seek out clarity — nor should they have to do that.

"For other people, who English might not be their first language or aren't really sure what their rights or obligations are, this would be a nightmare," he said. 

His daughter was tested for COVID-19 on Sunday, and the result was negative. Palmer also has a three-year-old son who attends daycare. 

He said the representative from Halton Region Public Health told him that the rules only applied to his daughter, unless others in the house developed symptoms. But PHO initially told him otherwise, he said. 

Palmer and his wife decided against sending their son to the daycare centre. Later on, Palmer said the daycare was told by public health that his son could not attend, though the centre didn't say if this was the region or province's direction. It later reversed course, but the family will continue to keep him at home.

The father said he and his wife were speculative about the rules, got concerned, and dug deeper. But he wonders what directions other families would take. 

People could be breaking rules, he said, without even knowing it. 

"If families are not following up multiple times to ask...they wouldn't know [what to do]," he said.

PHO did not answer CBC News's question about whether the rules applied to everyone in the household in this case. 

'Misinformation creeps in'

"It's somewhat disheartening to see that the state of the response is a little bit less smooth than we would have expected," Palmer said, noting that while Ontarians expected a learning curve, there shouldn't be one at this point in the pandemic.

This could push people to search online and find information, he said, which might apply to a different region and not their own. 

"The problem is misinformation creeps in," he said.

PHO says that generally, Ontario's local public health units are responsible for COVID-19 contact tracing and case management.

"Due to the high volume of contacts in Ontario, PHO is working collaboratively with local public health units, the Ministry of Health and federal partners to support and enhance provincial capacity for notifying individuals who have been identified as high risk contacts of a COVID-19 case," it said.