BRANT COUNTY -- Schools in Brant County remain closed for in-person learning despite low COVID-19 case counts.
The public health unit isn't comfortable sending students back to the classroom yet, which has left some parents feeling confused.
"A bit overwhelmed with the teaching and working at the same time," parent Jason Holmes said. "It's pretty hard."
Parents in the area are preparing to continue balancing work and distance learning at home.
"On one hand, you're being tugged to go to work and do your job and do it well, and then having them at home, constantly calling for check-ins to see if they can get help," parent Deanna Boyes said.
On Monday, provincial officials said the local health unit isn't ready to reopen schools.
"In the case of Brant, we discussed it with the medical officer of health, who was not comfortable at this time to open, and we respected that opinion in their community," Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. David Williams said Monday.
Brant County reported three new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday. There are a total of 38 active cases.
Students in London and the Ottawa area headed back to class this week, despite higher positivity rates.
"This is a really frustrating situation for us as parents, because we're not being given a matrix of any kind of science-based data that backs up their decisions that they are making," Boyes said.
Dr. Elizabeth Urbantke, Brant's acting medical officer of health, said comparing case counts between regions won't give a full picture. She said she wants the final decision to ensure stability for staff and students.
"It's important to ensure that local numbers have stabilized before a decision of this scope is made," she said.
Dr. Urbantke added Brant is close to areas with higher transmission rates, which is factor in her concerns over staff and students commuting to schools.
"We understand our community does not exist in a bubble and cases do not simply cease at our municipal borders," she said.
Holmes said he believes Dr. Urbantke is making the right call.
"Better safe than sorry," he said.
The province is expected to announce more information on a back-to-school date on Wednesday.
