Health minister says it's impossible to know when school sports can be restored

Students, parents and New Brunswick's school sports organization were taken by surprise by the province's temporary suspension of youth sports.

Last week, New Brunswick student sports had gyms and arenas full of fans. This week, there will be no games at all.

"I think there could be a few steps in between that we kind of missed, maybe," Andy Clark, president of the New Brunswick Interscholastic Athletic Association, told Information Morning Fredericton. 

"I'm not Public Health. I don't want to second guess their rationale for a complete shutdown of sports for our youth, but it does have a negative impact on our youth, for sure." 

There is no, no way that we can give you determination of what's going to happen tomorrow ... We don't have predictability over COVID any longer.- Dorothy Shephard, health minister.

On Monday, after the arrival of the Omicron COVID-19 variant in the province, the government ordered the cancellation of all organized activities for children.

Clark said he was expecting new regulations for younger children but not for older ones.

"I understand that we have to be cautious," he said. "We've asked our student athletes to be vaccinated."

Clark said the organization has been following public health measures by requiring vaccinations for attendants and athletes, ensuring people are wearing masks and maintaining physical distancing.

But New Brunswick has been seeing a spike in COVID-19 cases, partly because of a rise of school-related transmission. As of Monday, there were 1,048 active cases of the virus in the province.

Health minister says province has to be nimble

During question period Tuesday, Minister of Health Dorothy Shephard was asked about the rationale behind the decision by Liberal Leader Roger Melanson.

Shephard stood by the decision by Public Health and the province.

"We realize the hardship that this creates for children," she said. "We're in a very delicate position."

She said the province "may be going further" in restrictions.

"We need to give Public Health time to review their data and to give us concrete solutions or concrete motions going forward," she said.

Shephard said she can't say how long that could take.

"I would love to give predications," she said. "But the one thing that we've learned... is that we must be agile and pivot when we need to."

She said Public Health is monitoring the spread on a daily basis.

"There is no, no way that we can give you determination of what's going to happen tomorrow," she said. "We don't have predictability over COVID any longer."

'This might be the loss of the season'

Clark said school sports are important for students' well-being and mental health. He said he understands that school transmission directly affects school sports, but he hopes the temporary measures are short-lived. 

"I am hearing from some coaches around province that they're scared this might be the loss of the season again," he said.

He said the province has not provided a timeline for the shutdown. 

"The cases will dictate the length of it probably," he said.

Practices and skill drills are permitted if they only involve one team at a time, the province said, as long as the organization has an operational plan that includes "reasonable effort to ensure distancing and sanitization."

Clark said that while the temporary ban is still on, students who can practise will, and he hopes there will be a timeline which he can point students to, to show there's an end to the shutdown.

Public signs petition

Almost 8,000 people have signed a public petition calling for sports to be allowed again.

Yves Arsenault, president of the Lamèque-Shippagan Minor Hockey Association and president of the Société des Jeux de l'Acadie, started the petition.

He told Radio-Canada his children are directly impacted by the ban, and he's asking Premier Blaine Higgs to reverse the decision.