Teachers' union asks education minister to consider air purifiers for classrooms

The Centrale des unions du Québec (CSQ), Quebec's largest teachers' union, called on Education Minister Jean-françois Roberge Sunday not to rule out installing air purifiers in school classrooms.

Quebec's public health department has said that it does not recommend installing the devices in classrooms to avoid spreading aerosols contaminated with COVID-19.

However, CSQ president Sonia Éthier said she was not satisfied with the answers public health officials gave at a news conference on Friday.

“We cannot substitute ourselves for the public health department, but we are asking the minister of education not to rule out the possibility,” she said during an online news conference.

“The arguments given to us at the press conference did not convince us that air purifiers would not be effective. So we are asking the government to continue its reflection.”

Richard Massé, strategic medical adviser to the General Directorate of Public Health, said on Friday that air purifiers, if improperly installed, could be harmful because they could circulate droplets in the air. To be effective, he added, these devices must be aimed at those who emit problematic droplets, which is hard to know in a classroom.

However, Éthier said support staff in schools are quite skilled at properly installing air purifiers. She recalled that last spring, public health officials recommended not to wear masks, whereas now they are required in schools.

“We were right to insist that the government ensure the health and safety of all,” she said.

The CSQ said it also intends to closely monitor the vaccination campaign. Health-care professionals have already started getting vaccinated, and teachers and educators will probably start receiving doses in the spring.

Even if some health professionals seem to be reluctant to be vaccinated, the CSQ does not intend to conduct an awareness campaign among its members because it is a “personal choice,” Éthier said.

“Personally, I believe that the vaccine is the only way to stop the pandemic,” she said. “I think that people will have the opportunity ... to review their position.”

The CSQ represents more than 200,000 members, of whom nearly 130,000 work in the education sector.