Quebec still plans to reopen schools Jan. 17

Quebec will distribute seven million rapid tests to preschools and elementary school students and staff, and says it's sticking to the plan of reopening schools in two weeks. 

The return to online learning in the province has been chaotic, as parents and teachers scramble to make sure students have the right materials. 

Education Minister Jean-François Roberge says the province will provide students without internet access at home with LTE sticks they can plug into their computers. He said school service centres and boards can request computers from the government if they need some to provide some to children who don't have any.

Roberge provided an update Wednesday afternoon on the school situation as most students' holiday break is now over. Public Health Director Dr. Horacia Arruda joined him at the news conference. 

The pair said they are not planning on further delaying the return to in-person learning, which is scheduled for Jan. 17. It was delayed from Jan. 10 last week. 

"I'm pretty confident that we will go back to in-person teaching and learning Jan. 17, but I can't be sure 100 per cent, of course, because COVID is COVID and we have to listen to public health," Roberge said, adding that public health experts have said they are in favour of reopening as soon as possible because of the negative effects keeping schools closed can have on children and their development. 

Arruda agreed, saying, the province "would have to be in high crisis" to close schools again. 

Roberge and Arruda also announced the period of isolation for students under the age of 12, as well as teachers, would be reduced to five days instead of 10. Earlier this week, the province reduced the isolation period for all Quebecers with two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine from 10 to five days. 

School daycare services will remain open, but will continue to prioritize the children of essential workers, such as health-care workers, unless a parent is an exceptional situation and needs the help.

Several parent and teacher committees have said they don't see how schools can reopen in two weeks, as the number of hospitalizations in the province threatens to overwhelm the health-care network. 

Wednesday, Quebec reported 158 new COVID-19 patients in hospital, totalling 1,750 across the province. 

They also expressed concern there wouldn't be enough staff out of isolation for schools to function properly. 

Roberge said he hoped the reduced isolation time would remedy part of that problem and that he preferred have to close some individual classrooms temporarily, rather than all of them.

Half of the seven million at-home rapid tests are expected to be handed out when students return to school and the other half in February.