Masks to be mandatory in Quebec high school

High school students in regions at the highest COVID-19 alert level will be required to wear masks inside classrooms, Quebec said Monday, as authorities reported more than 1,000 new infections for the fourth straight day.

The new rule enters into effect Thursday and will remain until at least Oct. 28 in high-alert regions such as Montreal and Quebec City, Education Minister Jean-Francois Roberge said.

Also starting Thursday, students in Grades 10 and 11 in high-alert regions will move to rotating schedules, spending one day out of every two at home.

"It's important to bring forward these new measures because we want to do everything we can to keep our schools open," Roberge told reporters.

As of Oct. 1, there was at least one active case of COVID-19 reported in 636 schools across the province, according to the government.

The greater Montreal and Quebec City areas, as well as the Chaudiere-Appalaches region south of the provincial capital, are at the maximum, "red" COVID-19 alert level. Bars, restaurants dining areas and most venues are closed in this regions, and indoor and outdoor gatherings are prohibited.

Junior Education Minister Isabelle Charest said Monday that all gyms in red-alert areas are being forced to close Thursday until at least Oct. 28. All organized team sports will be prohibited during the same period, she added.

"I know how important sports are," Charest told reporters. "The challenge we're facing right now, we all need to confront it together, and it demands sacrifices."

The province reported 1,191 new COVID-19 cases on Monday, the highest single-day total since the beginning of the pandemic, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the province to 79,650.

Health officials reported two deaths in the past 24 hours attributed to the novel coronavirus, and four that they said occurred at earlier dates, bringing the province's death toll to 5,884.

The province said hospitalizations from COVID-19 went up to 361, an increase of 27 from the previous day, with 62 people in intensive care — down two from the day before.

Roberge also announced that all extracurricular activities will be prohibited involving students who aren't in each other's classroom bubbles.

"The figures are increasing on the number of students, the number of personnel, the number of classrooms that are closing, the number of schools that are closing," Roberge said. "And we have to put measures in place."