Quebec to install 90,000 air quality monitors in classrooms, reserve rapid tests for students

When Quebec schools reopen on Jan. 17, the youngest students will immediately get more at-home rapid tests, then get more in February.

It's part of a suite of measures meant to curb school outbreaks of Omicron, though Quebec Education Minister Jean-François Roberge also took heat over a press conference Wednesday from those saying the province isn't going nearly far enough, especially when it comes to classroom air quality.

"Our Plan A is reopening schools," said Roberge, saying the province is laying the necessary groundwork to stick to its goal of bringing kids back to class as soon as possible.

For the rapid tests, a box of five tests will be given out to each primary and preschool student in January, and then again in February, adding up to millions of tests reserved for this group.

In another measure meant to keep school outbreaks under control, teachers will be added to the list of prioritized Quebecers who will have access to PCR tests, starting on Jan. 15. 

Some new equipment is also coming to help maintain air quality in schools and cut down on the infection rate, though critics said Quebec's work on this front lags far behind other provinces'.

Quebec is installing 50,000 air-quality detectors for classrooms imminently, with 40,000 more on the way, Roberge said.

It's also looking at adding more air exchangers, which bring fresh air into classrooms to maintain better air quality.

A few hundred air exchangers have been installed already and the province "will be providing more according to need," Roberge, calling it "excellent news."

That announcement comes, however, after a year of political battles around air quality in schools, and it wasn't enough to satisfy the government's opponents.

Many English-language boards buying their own air purifiers for classrooms about a year ago. The province refused to reimburse the cost and denied that it was necessary to do the same for most French-language classrooms, which are government-run through school "service centres" rather than boards.

On Wednesday, the political opposition immediately slammed the news, with the Quebec Liberal education critic writing on Twitter that adding monitors won't help, since they don't actually fix air quality.

"What do we do when the reading exceeds the [CO2] limit, other than open the window in the middle of winter?" wrote Liberal Marwah Rizqy.

The federal government has sent $432 million for school air quality measures, she wrote, asking what it's been spent on, with "zero in air purifiers."

Meanwhile, she added, "Ontario has over 70,000!"

When pressed by journalists about why the province won't install air purifiers, and whether it's an issue of expense, Roberge said it isn't.

"It's not a question of money. It's because those those tools are not recommended by our experts. It's as simple as that," said Roberge.

When asked if teachers will be given N-95 masks, Quebec Public Health Director Horacio Arruda said no, repeating a claim he's made several times when asked about a mask upgrade for health-care workers: he said Quebec experts don't believe N-95s work better overall than procedural masks and are not recommending their use, partly because people can't be relied upon to wear them correctly.

In another change, the isolation period will be reduced for fully vaccinated staff and students, meaning mostly students 12 and over. After an infection this group will need to isolate for only five days, not 10, as long as they don't show symptoms.

'PRETTY CONFIDENT' OF JAN. 17 RETURN

When asked what the chances are that school will be delayed yet again, Roberge said he thinks it's unlikely.

"I'm pretty confident that we will go back" on schedule, he said.

"I can't be sure at 100 per cent... of course, because COVID is COVID, and we have to take advice [from] our health authorities and we have to adapt," he said, but repeated that signs point towards staying with the current date.

Roberge said that until classes return, distance learning will happen according to plan. There are minimum weekly virtual teaching hours for elementary students, and secondary students will be virtually in class according to their normal schedules.

Exceptions are being made for specialized schools such as those for special-needs children, which are in person, and for apprenticeships and vocational training that must be done in workshops and in laboratories -- these must be done in person.

The same goes for practical evaluations that need to be done in person, Roberge said.

Despite reported shortages of computers for children without their own, Roberge said the province hasn't been aware of a need in this area and said it has sent computers to all who requested them.

"If [schools] have some shortage they should advise us and we'll help them provide computers to all kids who need computers," he said.

The government delayed the return to class for elementary and high school students until Jan. 17 as a result of rising infection rates.

Emergency daycare services are available to parents working in essential fields.

Similarly, universities in Montreal have moved to online education for the first few weeks of the winter semester as they examine the evolution of the virus.

Tuesday, Quebec reported 21 more deaths and 14,494 new recorded cases of COVID-19.