Legault: Half of young adults are still gathering in homes

In a press conference this afternoon, Quebec Premier François Legault expressed his pride in the fact that high school students at all levels are back in school full time. However, he also noted that five regions in the province (Outaouais, Capitale-Nationale, Chaudière-Appalaches, Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean and Bas-St-Laurent) are at risk of being elevated to the next level in Quebec’s pandemic colour chart, and it is not out of the question to scale back reopenings and loosening of restrictions in some of those regions. He cited a survey from the INSPQ that found that roughly half of young adults (20–25) in Quebec are not respecting public health restrictions and are still gathering in homes, a trend that may be exacerbating the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The INSPQ has arrived at the conclusion that half of young adults go see their friends and do not respect the guidelines in people’s homes. That is very serious and we have to find a way (to stop this). It’s a question of solidarity toward the staff in our hospitals and also solidarity towards younger children. Some people have had comments on the full-time reopening of secondary 3, 4 and 5. We believe that, yes, there is a risk associated to the fact that children are in school full-time. But we believe that the risk is greater if we keep them at home — greater for their learning and academic success, but also for their mental health. 96% of children in Quebec are currently in school full-time. That is my greatest pride and it should be our greatest concern. I’m thinking about young people who are 20 to 25 years old who are having parties. Think about the younger children. I need everyone to get involved.”

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