New restrictions for Quebec’s COVID-19 red zones
Posted October 5, 2020 2:12 pm.
Last Updated October 5, 2020 7:05 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
MONTREAL – The provincial government has added a list of new restrictions for Quebec’s COVID-19 red zones.
Masks are now mandatory for high school students on school property, including in classrooms, announced Quebec Education Minister Jean-François Roberge at a press conference in Montreal.
Grade 10 and 11 students will be put on a rotation with one day of in-person learning and one day of virtual classes. CEGEPs and universities are being asked to do as much of their school work online as they can as well.
“In red zones, like elsewhere, there is no debate. The best place for our students is in school,” said Roberge. “From a mental health point of view, and an academic point of view, it’s so important to take care of [our students].”
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Teachers and staff must continue to wear their masks in common areas, but not in the classroom, as long as they respect social distancing measures.
“We will go towards a hybrid mode of learning for students grade 10 and 11 [in ‘red’ zones]. They will go to school one day out of two as of Thursday. […] This will decrease by 20 per cent the amount of students in buses, on school property, and decrease contact between students. They will continue to learn even when they are at home,” continued Roberge.
The government saying they also want students to always sit in the same seat on school transport or public transit, one person per bench, and work to maintain this assigned seating daily.
Gatherings at school and extracurricular activities, outings, competitions, and sports will be suspended, but not the Sport-Études program, as long as the class bubble is maintained explained Isabelle Charest, delegate Education Minister. Individual sports can be maintained.
Gyms will be closed until at least Oct. 28, at which point in time the government will re-evaluate the situation.
The CAQ says help is coming for gyms and that financial details will be released in the coming days.
“We are asking people to limit themselves to practice individual activities alone or in a pair within your family bubble. We are not doing this happily, I know sports is very important for people, for mental health and physical health,” continued Charest.
“What we are experiencing today, we must get through this together, it requires sacrifices so we can go back to our favourite sports. We must all fight this together.”
The new restrictions come into effect Thursday.
