Quebec in turn confirms that the mask will not be compulsory for students during the next school year, but only “if the situation remains the same”, the potential risk of an eighth wave of COVID-19 having already been mentioned by health authorities.
Posted at 10:09 a.m.
“If the situation remains the same, no change is planned for the start of the school year. As Public Health repeated in a press briefing, the measures in force will be the same as last June, ”said Audrey Noiseux, press attaché to the office of the Minister of Education, Jean-François Roberge.
She recalls that the wearing of an intervention mask is no longer formally compulsory since May 14, “whether in class, in common areas or even during school transport, and this, both for school staff and for students “. Wearing a mask therefore remains “at the discretion of each person” in the school network, as in public transit and in indoor public spaces throughout Quebec.
This announcement by the Quebec government comes barely 24 hours after that of the Ontario Minister of Education, Stephen Lecce, who confirmed that students will not have to wear the mask, saying he wants them to “take full advantage of the clubs, sports and extracurricular activities, which are essential for their physical and mental health”.
Speaking of “encouraging signals” last Thursday, the national director of public health, the Dr Luc Boileau, however, had warned that the gradual descent of the seventh wave still calls for a lot of caution. Because according to him, the return to school will “most likely” revive infections, as has often been the case since the start of the pandemic.
Any idea of the eighth wave soon?
Quebec believes that it will be able to model within a week “what should happen during the fall”, but warns from the outset that there will “certainly be an increase in cases again”. “We will see how it evolves in the coming weeks, if we are dealing with a new variant. […] But for the moment, it is not in our sights to bring back bonds, “said the Dr Boileau.
A new vaccination campaign will be launched on August 15, starting with people who live in CHSLDs, private seniors’ residences (RPA) or other living environments, who will be able to receive a new dose of reminder. Prime Minister François Legault received his fourth dose last Friday.
Many experts, however, urge the government to act cautiously, by reimposing the mask in closed places such as school classes. “It’s a lasting measure that you can easily stick to,” explained to The Press epidemiologist Nimâ Machouf at the end of July.
“While waiting to find suitable vaccines, the best solution, in my opinion, is to have these few measures in place to at least reduce transmission, knowing that, in any case, we are stuck with living with it”, she had then illustrated.