Situation in the Eastern Townships stable
Dr. Alain Poirier, Director of Public Health in the Estrie region, told local media on Wednesday morning that the local “curve” of new COVID-19 cases is stable and has been for several weeks.
“Every day we have fewer and fewer cases,” he said explaining that the local peak of about 50 new cases per day came near the beginning of April, and has been going down since then. As a result the region is now well below others like Montreal and Laval, despite having started out as one of the hot zones in the province.
Although Dr. Poirier convened the technical briefing with reporters to provide updated information on the progression of the virus and the various methods being used to respond to it under changing circumstances, the public health director’s repeated message was that there is a lot about the situation, locally and around the world, that is still being figured out.
Right now, in Quebec, the number of cases is spread fairly evenly across age groups, with every ten year span from 20 years old to 100 representing roughly 10 per cent of the total number, al
The Eastern Townships School Board (ETSB) learned of the Quebec government’s May 11 plan to reopen elementary schools and daycares at the same time as the rest of the province. There was no consultation or effort made on the education minister’s part to hear concerns or address any needs particular to the ETSB, which covers a vast territory.
The ETSB will spend the coming week developing a reintegration plan.
“We will try and conform to the minister’s timeline,” commented ETSB Chairman Michael Murray during Tuesday evening’s Council of Commissioners meeting, “but should we feel that it is necessary, we would be prepared to take independent action,” Murray said, ready to exercise the board’s constitutional right to govern its own schools. “Our version may differ significantly from that of the minister,” Murray said, about the plan to reopen.
“It’s going to happen. It’s time for it to happen,” Murray said, wanting to reassure parents that the board’s plan