1) Quebec’s schools are at what appears to be a worrying turning point in the #pandemic, with teachers who are exhausted, and with the weather turning cold, windows can no longer stay open in classrooms to provide ventilation. In this thread, I'll examine what’s happening.

2) Since Friday, three schools have announced they're closing temporarily after #COVID19 outbreaks: a private Montreal elementary and high school (Ali Ibn Abi Talib), a second in Boisbriand (Gabrielle-Roy, with the daycare shut, too) and a third in Trois-Rivières (Cardinal-Roy).

3) On Friday, the Education Ministry declared a record 2,377 active #COVID19 cases, with 1,934 infected students and 443 staff contracting the #coronavirus. In addition, 938 classes have been shuttered. The ministry doesn’t keep track of schools that have closed.

4) Since Saturday, at least seven more schools have posted #COVID19 cases across the province, according to the comprehensive website, http://covidecolesquebec.org . Quebec is counting more schools affected by the #coronavirus than any other province, according to COVID Schools Canada.

5) As I pointed out on Friday, more outbreaks are now occurring in Montreal schools than in the workplace and health-care institutions combined. Although most of these clusters are under 10 #COVID19 cases each, authorities have not responded with any kind of comprehensive plan.

6) Australian epidemiologist Zoë Hyde, who has studied the impact of the #coronavirus on children extensively, recommends increasing ventilation in schools by “bringing in more fresh outdoor air” and “supplement(ing) with portable air cleaners.” Will Quebec follow that advice?

7) Meanwhile, Montreal recorded 247 more #COVID19 cases on Sunday, up from 233 Saturday, as the orange line in the chart below indicates. The city’s seven-day rolling average is 117.89 cases, stuck in a plateau that has lasted a month despite partial confinement. Wonder why.

8) At the neighborhood level, the chart below shows that two health districts are observing new cases in the 30s: Côte-des-Neiges, downtown and Parc Extension as well as Dorval, Lachine and Lasalle. Both health districts have plenty of schools with active #COVID19 cases.

9) Justifiably, authorities have gone to great lengths to protect the city’s long-term care centres, although an outbreak is now flaring up in LaSalle CHSLD. But why isn’t there a detailed plan to protect Quebec’s schools? End of thread. Stay safe everyone.