There are over 5,000 active COVID-19 cases in Quebec schools

Dec 17 2020, 3:47 pm

The Quebec government is reporting that there are now over 5,000 schools across the province with at least one active COVID-19 case.

The numbers unveiled by the province’s education board consist of pre-school, elementary, high school, and trade schools throughout Quebec.

As of December 15, according to Quebec’s Réseau scolaire public et privé, there are currently 5,087 active cases in schools across the province — 4,026 active cases among students and 1,061 among staff members.

The majority of cases, 4,289, have been within public schools, while 798 are in the private sector.

If a case is identified, the school is expected to notify students’ parents with health guidelines and instructions on whether the student in question should stay home.

Since the start of the school year, there have been 19,279 “reported cases,” according to the government — 16,568 in public schools and 2,693 in the private school sector.

As a result, 1,638 classes have been cancelled across the province since September’s start date; ten Quebec schools have closed entirely.

Quebec public health says it has committed to providing weekly updates on school infections.

“We understand parents’ concerns, and we want to be there to reassure them,” said Health Minister Christian Dubé at the start of the school year. “We hope this tool will allow the population, and more particularly parents, to get a current portrait of the entire situation.”

The government reports that 14,192 students and staff have fully recovered from the virus and returned to class.

The full list of infected Quebec schools can be found online.

On Wednesday, Quebec health officials added 1,897 new COVID-19 cases and 43 additional deaths to the provincial total.

Total coronavirus cases in the province have now reached 169,173, along with 7,613 deaths.

Ty JadahTy Jadah

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