Fully vaccinated spectators are now allowed at high school indoor games, but the move comes with its share of controversy as well.

The Lambton-Kent and St. Clair Catholic District school boards have announced that fully vaccinated spectators 12 and older will now be able to attend indoor sporting events beginning on Thursday. In a joint letter to parents this week, both Directors of Education John Howitt and Scott Johnson said there will be specific health and safety protocols in place after careful review and planning.

The boards noted that the vaccine mandate for spectators is a provincial direction and doesn’t apply to student-athletes. The school boards said they are required to enforce the new rules and are committed to doing so.

“Athletics and extracurricular activities are an important part of the school experience, and we know that these activities provide students with social, physical, and emotional benefits, which enhance their learning outside the classroom,” read the letter.

Chatham-Kent Medical Officer of Health Dr. David Colby said local school sports are tricky because it involves several groups and two regions and admitted there’s a conflict with the provincial recommendations and guidelines. Colby said he’s finalizing public health guidelines for recreational sports in Chatham-Kent to mandate vaccines for athletes at that level but expects the current school rules to stay the same for now.

“I think for community-based sports, the answer is yes and many athletic have already instituted those policies. So, that’s pretty much enforced now,” said Colby. “The school situation is very tricky because the two main school boards are shared between Sarnia-Lambton and Chatham-Kent and giving them different rules of engagement for the same boards is a very problematic issue. When you get that many players at the table, things tend to go back and forth for quite a while.”

The boards said the spectator vaccine mandate applies to all facilities used for sports and recreational fitness activities and personal fitness training, including schools but at this time, there is no mandate for student-athletes to be vaccinated.

Fully vaccinated spectators must do the following below in order to attend an indoor extracurricular activity at a Lambton Kent or St. Clair Catholic district school board school:

• Complete and follow the directions of the daily COVID-19 School Screening assessment tool;
• Provide proof of COVID-19 vaccination using the Ontario vaccination passport upon entry to the facility, along with identification;
• Wear a mask while on school premises;
• Complete the attendance sign-in log for contact tracing purposes; and
• Practice six feet of physical distancing in the seating area to be apart from individuals who live outside of your household.

The school boards said capacity will be limited based on the facility and provincial seating capacity restrictions will apply. Requirements for attending indoor extracurricular activities are subject to change based on the provincial government and Public Health requirements.

School board officials said sports involving a municipal facility, such as pools, curling rinks, and hockey arenas, will be subject to municipal guidelines and may require vaccination for athletes as well as spectators.

“We look forward to your cooperation and support, as we all work together to make our extracurricular programs safe for our students and spectators,” said Howitt and Johnson.

Meanwhile, there is also some controversy surrounding vaccines being mandatory for patrons at restaurants and bars, but not for servers.

Colby said the Ministry of Labour is not in favour of mandatory vaccines for servers and he’s still discussing the issue with the Chief Medical Officer of Health of Ontario. Colby maintained that if the province doesn’t mandate the vaccine for servers he will. He pointed out that there have been no restaurant-related outbreaks in Chatham-Kent.

The ministry has not yet responded to enquiries from CK News Today about mandatory vaccination for servers.