By Adam Kovac, CTV Montreal
MONTREAL -- Should a second wave of COVID-19 hit Quebec, the provincial government is promising that the childcare network will remain open.
On Thursday, Families Minister Mathieu Lacombe and Health Minister Christian Dube unveiled the government's plan for the childcare system as the pandemic continues. The ministers stressed that it's a question of when, not if, a second wave will hit the province, but added that the size of that wave could vary.
Still, the ministers insisted that they have learned much from the first wave that hit the province in the spring, forcing the temporary closure of all daycare centres.
“We will not go back to multiple closings we've had in past months during the first wave,” said Lacombe. “We will not go back to that situation. It was very difficult for many families and it upended many people's lives.”
Lacombe noted that transmission among young children has been relatively rare, with only 123 cases out of 305,000 children in the childcare network.
“We see the risks are very low in keeping childcare services open,” he said. “It's a safety net for our more vulnerable children as well.”