MONTREAL -- A Montreal pediatrician is calling on the Quebec government to make masks mandatory for students returning to class amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Earl Rubin, the head of the Children's Hospital's pediatric infectious diseases unit, cited a South Korean study showing children who are aged 10 and up transmit the virus just as adults do.
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Rubin, who has consulted with several schools, noted that public and private schools have different leeway when it comes to implementing a mask policy and that some private schools “have looked into aumenting protective measures.”
Rubin said he hopes children will be required to wear masks in the classroom when schools re-open.
The province's back-to-school plan, which was unveiled earlier this month, students in grade five and up will be required to wear masks in common areas, but not classrooms.
Rubin said as a parent he understands some parents' desire to keep their child at home, but reassured them about the return to the classroom.
“It's going to be a challenge, but overall, if the child was well enough to go to school pre-COVID, during influenza, then I believe they're well enough to go to school during COVID as well,” he said.
The plan has been criticized for lacking detail, not taking teachers' safety into consideration and faces a legal challenge from parents who wish to have their kids learn at home.
