Active cases drop below 8,000 in Quebec

Although the areas will remain under special emergency measures to help control the spread of COVID-19, Premier Francois Legault announced on Tuesday afternoon that high schools in the Beauce and Granit sectors will be reopening. While emphasizing that people in those hard-hit areas need to “be more careful,” the premier spoke with pride about reopening the schools, and the degree to which schools in the province have remained open in general during the pandemic.

Legault said that the situation in certain parts of the Bas Saint Laurent, Chaudiere Appalaches, and Estrie regions all remain areas of concern, although he added that as of next Monday the Outaouais region will be downgraded from the emergency measures and that several regions closer to Montreal may be moving to orange shortly.

Looking ahead to summer, the premier said that the situation looks better than last year with 10 times fewer deaths per week and half the hospitalizations as this time last year.

On the subject of whether the enthusiastic adoption of vaccination by each age group as it opens means that second dose appointments might be moved up, Health Minister Christian Dubé said that he wants to make sure that there is a solid plan in place to vaccinate the roughly 500,000 people aged 12-17 in the province first. This age group, added to the plan last week, is supposed to be receiving a first dose before the end of the school year in June.