A union representing educators in early childhood centres (CPEs) is calling on Quebec to suspend its new guidelines for managing cases of COVID-19 in childcare settings.
The CSQ-affiliated Fédération des intervenantes en petite enfance du Québec wants the Ministry of Health and Social Services to follow the lead set by Montreal's regional public health, a union spokesperson told The Canadian Press.
Montreal public health officials decided on Monday it would not immediately apply new instructions allowing day-care services to keep on staff and asymptomatic children who have been in contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19.
"We are in discussion with Quebec," said Jean Nicolas Aubé, spokesperson for CIUSSS du Centre-sud-de-l'Île-de-Montréal, a regional health authority in the province's largest city.
The recommendations were issued as Quebec announced additional health restrictions on Dec. 30 to address the surge in cases and hospitalizations since the emergence of the Omicron variant.
On its website, the Health Ministry states that children and educators who have been in contact with an infectious but asymptomatic person do not need to be tested. They can continue to attend their child care setting except for certain reasons: for example, a member of the same household as the child has tested positive for COVID-19.
There's clear evidence young children can spread the virus, said infectious diseases expert Dr. Donald Vinh.
"There is clear data from Canada that shows that children less than five years of age, so this is daycare-age children, can very much get infected, can very much transmit and can be an important point source of infection to the household," he said.
The new guidelines have sparked outrage and concern among child care providers and owners.
"The kids are in each other’s faces all the time, the staff members are in the kids faces all the time. Yes, they wear a mask and full PPE but they’re caring for little humans," said Chelsea Sculnick, director of CPE Hebrew Foundation.
Sculnick said she was pleased Montreal is setting its own guidelines.
"And it just feels now like we have a little bit of an advocate on our side realizing how backwards that is," adding that she hopes Montreal public health and Quebec public health "can get on the same page."
- - This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Jan. 3, 2022 and was produced with the financial support of the Facebook and Canadian Press News Grants. With files from CTV News Montreal's Rob Lurie
