Quebec cancels the mask regime. Teachers in the province are outraged
The end of the mandatory wearing of masks in Quebec schools will be the first stage in the province-wide abolition of the mask regime.
Canada continues to phase out covid restrictions in the country. We previously reported on the stabilization in the province of Nova Scotia. This time it's news from Quebec.
According to the Minister of Health and Social Services of Quebec, the wearing of masks by middle and high school students will no longer be mandatory as of March 7. However, students will still be required to wear masks in public areas, such as the school lobby and school bus lounge. For preschoolers, restrictions will remain in place only for the ride to school and home.
According to the official statement of Christian Dubet, the easing of the restrictions was made possible by the favorable development of the epidemiological situation in the province, as well as the high level of vaccinators and coronavirus survivors in Quebec.
The wearing of masks, however, remains a controversial issue. Dr. Olivier Drouin, a pediatrician at Saint-Justin Children's Hospital in Montreal, has expressed concerns that the implementation of the plan to open Quebec is premature. In his opinion, the official data available to the authorities may not reflect the real rate of coronavirus infection in the province.
Local teachers also opposed the removal of the restrictions. They expressed extreme dissatisfaction with the fact that the decision was made without joint consultation. "The Health Authority doesn't know what it's like to be a teacher in a classroom... The Health Authority has never entered a 1st grade classroom," they said. Heidi Yetman, president of the Quebec Provincial Teachers Association, also noted that the ventilation system in classrooms is not working properly, which, combined with the lack of masks, would pose an immediate threat of a more rapid spread of the virus.
This decision could be the cause of the collapse of the entire Quebec education system. The province is currently experiencing a record shortage of teachers, since many of them took early retirement during the pandemic. With the abolition of the mask regime among schoolchildren, even those who until recently had not considered this measure an option may decide to quit.
