Child care centres left out of rapid test distribution: NDP

TORONTO — Ontario NDP Child Care critic Bhutila Karpoche (Parkdale—High Park) said the Ford government must give child care centres free rapid tests for children, families, and child care workers. Child care was completely excluded from rapid test distribution for schools. She released this statement:

"Omicron is spreading wildly, and parents of young children are worried about sickness and the spread of the virus among their unvaccinated little ones. Workers who care for our youngest kids are afraid they could bring COVID-19 home to their families.

As we enter a scary new wave of the pandemic, the Ford government has again left Ontarians unprepared. The government's rapid test distribution is falling far short of what's needed; two million tests for a population of 15 million people is unacceptable. Sending rapid tests home with kids in elementary school is good; but excluding kids in child care is wrong. People are standing for hours in line-ups and LCBOs province-wide are running out of tests, so families are unable to get them that way.

Ford must urgently expand his distribution of free rapid tests to include child care families and workers, and make them free and available to everyone else in Ontario, too.”