Social gatherings behind surge in Montreal’s COVID-19 cases: Drouin

Drouin said she’s not in favour of mandating full-time mask usage in schools because most of the outbreaks to date have been small — fewer than 10 people — and the contacts were isolated and transmission was contained.

“I would say that our schools are secure. We want our schools to stay open for as long as possible, and they can be open for the whole session.”

Extracurricular activities will still be allowed, with caution, for the moment, Drouin said. Health officials are keeping a close eye on contact sports, which have been the source of a few small outbreaks, to determine if they are another possible source of transmissions.

A positive sign in the Montreal region is the fact there are just 35 COVID-19 patients in hospital and 17 in intensive care. At the height of the pandemic, more than 600 people were hospitalized in the region. As well, there have been few cases linked to bars and none tied to the use of public transit for the last several months.