The Saskatchewan Teachers Federation is becoming more and more anxious.

Due to inconsistencies in COVID-19 protocols, the province is seeing a rise in positive cases in children under the age of 12.

Children now make up about 20% of the infection rate in Saskatchewan.

Until recently, masks were not mandatory by any school division but some have reverted back to a mask mandate over the last couple of weeks.

Other school divisions, such as Moose jaw, still have masks as optional.

The STF is pushing the government to not only mandate mask-wearing again but also make vaccines mandatory for students and teachers who are going to school and are eligible.

However, he has little faith in the government due to the lack of response so far.

"I'm not holding my breath with the government right now because it seems like I've been underwhelmed every step of the way with the governments response to a global pandemic. The numbers we're seeing in kids under 11 in our schools who have COVID... that's alarming and those are kids who aren't eligible yet for vaccines and we have a higher duty in order to keep those students safe. So, yes absolutely we're still calling for vaccines for everyone who's eligible. In order to enter our schools, you should be vaccinated and that includes both staff and students that are eligible." says STF President Patrick Maze.

If vaccines become mandatory for staff and students, Maze says that there are currently no protocols put in place for children and teachers who medically can't have the vaccination.

However, protocols will be put in place when necessary.

The protocols would likely include mandatory mask-wearing, daily temperature checks, and frequent rapid testing.

Maze says that those protocols aren't any different from what STF was asking for in schools last year, "We were asking for rapid tests in our schools in order to detect asymptomatic students and staff and unfortunately it really seems like the province is unwilling to really take this seriously."

Rapid testing is currently implemented in some schools throughout the province but is not available to a majority of them.

If it is available there are some complications, "They come in packs of, I believe it's 25 but they only have 1 bottle of, kind of a fixing agent. So, you can't send 5 tests home with a family, you have to send a whole box of 25... it makes look like we have tons of tests out in the communities but really 1 family could be sitting on a box of 25 and only using 1 or 2 of the actual tests." says Maze.

Maze is stressing the importance of protecting our children during this fourth wave and also says that he's still hopeful for tighter restrictions in schools.