Rapid testing coming to about 300 high schools in Alberta: Kenney
Posted Apr 10, 2021 1:03 pm.
Last Updated Apr 10, 2021 1:12 pm.
EDMONTON (660 NEWS) — More rapid testing kits are being sent to Alberta schools.
Roughly 300 junior and senior high schools in Calgary, Edmonton, Lethbridge and Grande Prairie are expected to receive a total 440,000 kits.
Premier Jason Kenney and Education Minister Adriana LaGrange made the announcement at a joint press conference on Saturday.
They said provincial officials will work with school authorities to determine which schools will participate.
“We’re expecting by mid April that all school regions will have teams on the ground testing, and by mid May that we would have 100 per cent capacity for all teams to be testing,” said LaGrange. “Of course it will take time to go school to school. Roughly they can do about 600 tests per day, per team. It depends on the level of interest that we get from schools.
“In the pilot, we found about 60 per cent of students and staff consented to having the test done.”
Testing teams will be set up at selected schools to screen students and staff who don’t have symptoms and have signed consent forms.
The kits are expected to provide tests to up to 220,000 students and staff across the province.
