Quebec drops masks for elementary and high school students in class

The Quebec government has dropped masks for elementary and high school students in class – when they return from spring break in March.

The measure will be lifted March 7 for students in Montreal, the north shore, Abitibi, Outaouais, and Saguenay.

For those in Laval, Quebec City, and Chaudière-Appalaches, they’ll have to wait until March 14 – their spring break falls a week later.

Dr. Luc Boileau, interim public health director, will hold a news conference Wednesday with more details after advising the government of the recommendation on Monday night.

Masks will remain mandatory in elementary and high school common areas until further notice.

They are still required in CEGEP and university classes.

Of those 12 to 17 years old, 99 per cent have gotten a first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, 93 per cent with two, and the age group is now eligible for boosters as well.

The 5 to 11-year-olds are at 64 per cent with one shot and 40 per cent with two.

Teachers say they weren’t consulted

Heidi Yetman, president of Quebec Provincial Association of Teachers (QPAT) believes it’s important to air on the side of caution – always.

“Students have learned that wearing the mask is protecting themselves and protecting their classmates. It’s respectful, and they’re doing just fine with masks on in most cases.”

Yetman says QPAT did a survey at the end of January, finding that 50 per cent of their teachers wanted N95 masks. “This pandemic has been divisive and teachers are exhausted.”

#WATCH: "Teachers are exhausted," says Heidi Yetman, President of Quebec Provincial Association of Teachers, on the Quebec government expected to drop mask mandates for students in class, when they return from spring break in March. pic.twitter.com/jxqygvYLU8

— CityNews Montreal (@CityNewsMTL) February 22, 2022

“They’re very, very tired. I think the thing that stands out for me the most is that teachers have never been consulted. They’ve never been asked on the ground, ‘what do you think?’ And they feel disrespected by this government,” added Yetman. The sanitary measures change constantly. They’re constantly juggling the new measures, and they’re exhausted. They’re tired.”

Some parents and students worried, others think it’s time

“It’s premature, I think March 7 is early, there’s still a lot of transmission of COVID in schools and across the board in the province, even though hospitalization numbers are slowly coming down,” said Olivier Drouin, parent and founder of Covid Écoles Québec, a website that was set up to track cases in the province’s schools.

“We’ve actually seen this before in 2020, right after March break, this is when the transmission started to occur in Quebec. So, I am foreseeing that this will be exactly the same thing right now that many families will choose to or have already planned to travel,” added Drouin. “When they do come back, they may come back either with or without symptoms, not knowing that they have COVID.”

He feels the timing is questionable and that parents and students are worried, feeling the mask is a simple measure that works in reducing transmission.

“It’s not the mask itself, but it’s the mask in the context of air quality not being resolved. And nobody is attached to masks, nobody wants a chooses to have to put a mask on as an accessory.”

Drouin’s daughters are in high school and he says they have no intention of ditching their masks – no matter the mandate.

“A lot of the kids in their school will continue to wear them. And I think across the province, as long as they’re not forbidden to wear it, and the parents and families that choose to wear them are respected, then they will.”

“They need to be able to take off the mask and see smiles. They need to be taking off the mask and see their teachers,” said mom of two Sonia Zarbatany.

“We need to give parents the choice, the choice, so that if you feel like you don’t feel comfortable and you’re not quite ready or your child is not quite ready to do, that’s ok.”

She says her four-year-old has not seen his teacher’s face fully and has not been able to properly be educated. “They want to see smiling, happy faces. They want to be able to see their friends smile.”

Doctor weighs in: Is now the right time to drop masks in classrooms?

Dr. Jesse Papenburg, Pediatric Infectious Disease Specialist, Medical Microbiologist, at the Montreal Children’s Hospital says that he believes everyone can agree that mask mandates were not ever going to be a permanent public health measure in schools.

“Based on our test positivity rate and our hospitalizations which are decreasing, we can expect that there is now a decreasing transmission levels in the community at large – and that would include in schools. Based on that, at some point the transmission level is going to be really lower than what we would need to have a masking being an effective method for countering community spread.”

Papenburg says although many will be happy with the news, some may feel a little more anxious.

“For so long now, we’ve been seeing how important masks are at protecting our children and protecting our families – and protecting our community. To let go of that will come with a certain degree of risk,” adding that there will be people who are more susceptible to infection in a closed classroom scenario and there will be outbreaks – it’s inevitable, especially without masks.

“I think each family will have to decide what level of risk they’re comfortable with, and it will vary from one family to another based on the, you know, the risk factors for severe disease that may exist in that family and how comfortable they are with the idea.”

Papenburg says he does see the differences between dropping masking in classrooms and talking about dropping it fully. “We do understand that for children, part of their development is being able to read other people’s expressions and emotions based on their facial expressions to understand. So there is some concern with regards to prolonged use of masks in schools or other childcare settings, how much that may or may not hinder their development.”

He says adults can bear the burden of mask wearing for now if it means protecting our hospital system.

“Removing mask mandates for children before adults is the way to go. Based on that burden of disease and the importance of perhaps being able to see faces, see expressions for kids under development, that isn’t the case for adults.”