Ontario schools will remain closed for in-person learning for the rest of the academic year, Premier Doug Ford announced Wednesday, while hinting the province could reopen ahead of schedule.

Schools have been closed since mid-April, and while COVID-19 trends have improved since then, Ford said virus variants pose too great of a risk to send students and teachers back into class before they are fully vaccinated.

“While no one wants kids back in school more than I do, as your premier, these aren’t risks I’m willing to take,” he said.

“Today’s difficult decision will help ensure we do have a safe summer and create conditions for a safe and normal return to in class learning in September.”

The government has committed to offering two vaccine doses to all eligible students and educators by the start of the next school year.

The province’s economic reopening plan, announced last month, did not mention schools, and Ford called for advice from experts last week to inform his thinking.

A group of scientists advising the government on the pandemic supported a regional reopening based on local case counts, and others urged the government to reopen schools for children’s well-being. But Ford said there was no consensus on whether reopening schools would lead to a spike in COVID-19 cases.

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