COVID-19? Re-Opening Quebec

"Our challenge is to gradually restart the economy without restarting the pandemic."
"The idea is to gradually add workers and analyze the effect on the contagion."
"But one thing is clear: If we want our plan to work, we need to continue our efforts of physical distancing, and we need to continue to protect the most vulnerable."
Quebec Premier Francois Legault

"Will I be sending my kids to school [in Montreal] on May 19? No. [There are costs to reopening that include risks to children and parents, teachers and staff with pre-existing conditions, and evidence of emerging complications for kids who get COVID-19]."
"[The province has not proven itself capable of doing widespread testing for the general population and has a dismal record of contract tracing, which means] we are basically flying blind."
"And reopening in Montreal of all places? Montreal has the highest number of cases in the country."
Claire Trottier, education specialist, professor, McGill University, Department of Microbiology and Immunity

“The best option here is to send the smallest kids back to school."
"We have lots of evidence that there are bad things that happen because the kids are stuck at home, like their parents can’t work, and kids who require special services are not getting those special services."
"We have a quarter million kids in Quebec who rely on school breakfasts and are not getting those."
Epidemiologist Jay Kaufman, department of epidemiology, biostatistics and occupational health, faculty of medicine, McGill University

A mobile hospital in partnership with the Canadian Red Cross is set up in the Jacques-Lemaire Arena to help care for patients with the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) from long-term centres (CHSLDs), in Montreal, Quebec, Canada April 26, 2020. Christinne Muschi / Reuter

Most Canadian provinces have fared well in their efforts to control the spread of COVID-19. British Columbia, where the epidemic first raised its ugly head, has seen declining rates of infection. Alberta appears to have SARS-CoV-2 under control but for a number of outbreaks in oil camps and poultry processing plants. Saskatchewan and Manitoba both of which have had very few numbers of COVID are preparing to reopen their economies. On Canada's Eastern shore, the COVID outbreaks have been well managed and relatively few in number.

The country's two most populous provinces -- Quebec and Ontario -- have borne the brunt of the COVID invasion, with Quebec accounting for far more cases and deaths than any other province, including Ontario. Yet it is Quebec that is preparing to reopen its schools on May 11, while Ontario takes a more cautious approach and has designated the end of May for its openings.

Canada's total number of confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus to date stands at 50,000 with 3,000 deaths. Quebec's numbers are daunting, with 26,594 confirmed cases and 1,761 deaths. The death figures for Canada overall and Quebec in particular are derived in large part from the elderly and health-compromised who live and are cared for in long-term care facilities and old-age homes.

Quebec's decision to move swiftly to reopen its economy have caught other provincial governments by surprise, although at some point in May most other governments have targeted their own re-openings; reasonable enough given their lower statistics of epidemic numbers. And all are cautioning that if matters turn awry with early opening, they will swiftly revert back to the status quo.

Premier François Legault has said the province will open elementary schools and daycares outside of Montreal as of May 11 and in Montreal, Laval and Longueuil on May 19 only if it felt it is in control of the coronavirus outbreak. Paul Chiasson / THE CANADIAN PRESS

New Brunswick has had no new cases to report for the past ten days, yet it has decided to plan for a more gradual re-opening than Quebec whose latest report was 775 new cases and 83 new deaths on Tuesday alone. However, Premier Legault has announced that most retail stores will be clear to reopen on May 4. Only Montreal itself which has been hardest hit in the province, will wait another week for its re-openings on May 11.

Quebec accounts for half of the entire country's COVID-19 cases, and close to 60 percent of COVID-19 deaths, with 23 percent of the country's population base. Despite which officials have the impression that the peak of the initial wave of infections has arrived and they're now on the downward curve. Since lockdown measures were implemented, about 1.2 million Quebecers have been unemployed.

At Bombardier Inc., one of the province's largest manufacturers, manufacturing is to be gradually resumed from May 11, with its 22,000 employees expected to return to work in the next few weeks. The company is prepared to implement such precautions as daily employee temperature checks, tool disinfecting stations, installation of Plexiglas shields. "Are people concerned? It would be a lie if I said no. But the majority are happy to go back to work", said Serge Dupont, assistant to the Quebec director of Unifor.

Quebec has already allowed residential construction to resume. It plans to let the whole construction industry resume activities by the end of May. (Ivanoh Demers/Radio-Canada)

According to Jack Jedwab, president of the Association for Canadian Studies based in Montreal, part of the reason for Quebec decision-making might be accounted for given francophones appear less fearful of the virus. His organization worked with the polling firm Leger Marketing, tracking weekly public sentiment during the pandemic. The most recent round of polling found 47 percent of francophone responders fearful of acquiring the virus in comparison to 59 percent of anglophone respondents.

"I think there is also a cultural dimension to it, but you know, it's hard to measure that dimension", commented Jedwab. "Life goes on", said Premier Legault when he announced schools and nurseries would reopen. And with that re-opening, the rest of the country will be viewing what happens in Quebec over the next few weeks, and how it might pertain to their own more gradual plans for re-opening their economies.

Quebec plans to begin allowing some retail stores to open on May 4. (Ivanoh Demers/Radio-Canada )