Critics concerned about Quebec efforts to ensure air quality in schools – Montreal

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As Quebec unveils its back-to-school plan amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, critics say they are concerned about the province’s efforts to ensure adequate air quality in classrooms.

Especially since wearing a mask in class will no longer be compulsory.

Read more: COVID-19: Quebec students will wear masks in school hallways this fall, but not in class

“We need the CO2 meters now. We have a very different beast with Delta. [The Delta variant] is much more transmissible and people release a lot more viruses into the air, ”said Nancy Delagrave, scientific coordinator of COVID-STOP, a collective of doctors and scientists.

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“Basically they put the student semester at risk. “

The ministry has announced that it will install 90,000 CO2 readers in schools to measure air quality, but they will not be ready when students return to class in a few weeks.

They will only be installed between September and December of this year.

The province recently put out a call for tenders.

1: 51 Critics say quality ventilation will be difficult to achieve in schools Critics say quality ventilation will be difficult to achieve in schools August 17, 2020

“For over a year, Mr. Roberge argued with us that COVID-19 was not airborne. For over a year we asked him to buy CO2 detectors and air purifiers with HEPA filters and he said “no”. And finally, on May 27, he just woke up and said, You know what? I’m going to buy a CO2 detector, ”said Marwah Rizqy, Quebec Liberal Party spokesperson for education.

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Rizqy suggests that the minister took too long to launch the tender.

“The call for tenders took place five weeks later and the closing date for this call for tenders is August 16, seven days before the start of the school year. So no, he wasn’t ready for the start of the school year.

At a press conference on Wednesday, Quebec Education Minister Jean-François Roberge said schools are safe and “it is time to stop fear campaigns.”

Roberge says he has worked on improving ventilation systems this summer, making efforts to clean and renovate systems, repair windows and install air exchangers as needed.

Read more: Coronavirus: Quebec advises against the use of portable air purifiers in schools

The debate on air quality in schools has been going on for months in Quebec.

In January, the Quebec Ministry of Health published the results of studies on the impact of ventilation on the transmission of COVID-19.

About three percent of the classrooms tested had problems and about two-thirds of schools in Quebec did not have a mechanical ventilation system.

This means they rely on opening windows for good circulation which was a problem during the winter.

Some school boards have purchased and installed their own air purifiers.

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Read more: EMSB to buy air purifiers as Quebecers take charge of ventilation in classrooms

Roberge says Quebec is in a better position now than we were last year.

“We will have these CO2 tools to measure the rate. We have the vaccine and we have the experience, ”said Roberge. “We are able to adjust if we have to, to follow certain new recommendations coming from public health. “

2:14 Quebec Minister of Education updates return to school plans at start of 4th wave of COVID-19 Quebec Minister of Education updates return to school plans school at the start of a 4th wave of COVID-19

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