Quebec defends reopening of schools

`STRONG' CONSENSUS

MONTREAL• Quebec on Friday defended its decision to reopen schools despite soaring COVID-19 infections and related hospitalizations, with one public health official saying classrooms aren’t the primary drivers of transmission.

The government an - nounced new measures this week to curb rising infections, including an 8 p.m. curfew beginning Saturday, but chose to reopen primary schools as scheduled on Jan. 11 and high schools a week later.

Education Minister Jean-François Roberge told a news conference Friday there was a “fairly strong consensus” in the province to reopen schools as quickly as possible after the winter break because of their importance to children’s overall well-being.

Dr. Richard Massé, strategic health adviser to the government, told reporters that schools aren’t driving COVID-19 transmission in Quebec; rather, he said, they are a reflection of the virus’s spread in the community.

While he said there were intense discussions within the province’s health department regarding when schools should reopen, he said he believes it’s ultimately unfair to punish children, especially those in elementary school, who he said depend on classrooms for learning, mental health and socialization.

“The kids are kind of victims in that situation right now, so that’s why we want to place the measures on the places where the higher risk of transmission occurs — and this is not in primary schools,” Massé said.

“I don’t mean there’s no transmission: there (is) transmission, there have been outbreaks, there could be outbreaks still. We’re taking all the measures to control them very rapidly, but they are limited, and they’re not the cause of the actual situation.”

Government data indicates that as of Thursday, there were 103 active outbreaks tied to schools. The data says schools have accounted for about 24 per cent of all non-active outbreaks in the province — second only to workplaces.

Massé said that while transmission undoubtedly occurs in schools, more than 50 per cent of new cases reported across Quebec originate in the home or at small gatherings.

Primary students will now have to wear masks in hallways and in common areas while those in Grades 5 and 6 will have to wear them in class. High school students, who also have to wear masks in class, will be provided with two surgical masks a day.

Roberge said the ventilation systems in a sample of schools had been tested and that the results had been reassuring. He said the results, released Friday, indicate the average air quality tested fell within provincial standards.

Quebec reported 2,588 new COVID-19 infections and 45 more deaths attributed to the novel coronavirus on Friday.