MONTREAL Elementary students in Quebec returned to class Monday after being away for more than three weeks and while children may have been happy to see their friends, their teachers started the day with a mix of emotions. Some believe it’s unsafe for children to return to class, but after spending part of the break teaching online, others were happy to be back at the chalkboard. “My teachers who are teaching the younger grades found it was tough for the kids to be online, said Pierre Elliott Trudeau school principal Tanya Alvarez.
But a recent survey by Leger and the Association for Canadian Studies suggests the majority of Quebecers feel their children would not be safe returning to the classroom while Covid-19 cases continue to skyrocket in the province.
Concludes elementary schools reopening will probably undermine any possible benefits from the partial lockdown in effect.
Author of the article: Jesse Feith • Montreal Gazette
Publishing date: Jan 12, 2021 • January 12, 2021 • 4 minute read • The EMSB showed off their newly installed air purifiers at Pierre Elliott Trudeau Elementary School in Montreal on Monday January 11, 2021. The HEPA filter hangs from the wall in the background while principal Tanya Alvarez takes over a class at the elementary school. Photo by Dave Sidaway /Montreal Gazette
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While Quebec Premier François Legault described reopening schools Monday as a calculated risk, a new study suggests schools have been a driving factor behind the spread of COVID-19 in Montreal.