Keeping childcare services open when schools are closed until January 10 is a bad idea, says a union.
The Union of Professional and Office Employees (SEPB-FTQ) representing five school service centers in the metropolitan area says it disagrees with the Legault government’s decision not to close daycare services and specialized schools.
Quebec had announced the closure of schools and the extension of the winter break until January 10, after the explosion of cases of COVID-19 caused by the fulgurance of the Omicron variant.
“Is the minister forgetting that transmission also takes place within daycare services?” Does he forget that specialized schools are attended by vulnerable clients, often more at risk of contracting and transmitting the disease? ” asked Jean-François Labonté, president of SEPB-578, representative of school support employees at the Marie-Victorin School Services Center.
The union deplores the risk of contamination for staff and children, while the ventilation issue remains unresolved.
Faced with the urgency of the situation, it would have been preferable to close all schools and maintain daycare services only for essential services, according to the union.