KITCHENER -- Prime Minister Justin Trudeau delivered a personal message of hope to a Waterloo school earlier this week.
The video message was arranged by Lindsey Miller, a teacher at Our Lady of Lourdes, through Minister Bardish Chagger.
It appears to be filmed outside of Rideau Cottage, where Trudeau has been delivering his daily addresses about COVID-19.
"Nearly a month ago, you were asked to stay home. You've been told you can't spend time with your friends. Your school and your normal hangout spots are closed and you want to know when things will go back to normal," he says.
"I hear you. I get it from my kids too."
Schools in Ontario have been closed since March 14 as the province took measures to get ahead of the pandemic.
On Sunday, Minister of Education Stephen Lecce announced that schools would stay closed until at least the end of May.
"I know this is a big change, but we're counting on you to keep doing your part—for our grandparents, our nurses, our doctors, and everyone working in our hospitals," Trudeau says in his message.
"And many of you are pitching in: you're helping your parents work from home, you're sacrificing your usual day, and you're doing math class around the kitchen table. Well, I hope you are."
The provincial government has rolled out a number of distance learning options so that kids who are out of the classroom can stay abreast of their learning while they're away from the school.
The Waterloo Catholic District School Board also distributed thousands of Chromebooks for students to use at home.
"Now your local MP, Minister Bardish Chagger, and I are going to ask you to keep staying home for now, but I want you to remember that we will get through this, together," Trudeau explains.
The prime minister is set to address Canada at 11:30 a.m. from Rideau College, as he does daily. You can watch live coverage of his latest COVID-19 update at CTVNewsKitchener.ca.
