It may happen that we record cases of contamination despite all the protective measures put in place in these camps, indicates a specialist in epidemiology.
Interviewed Wednesday at All morning, Gaston De Serres, doctor-epidemiologist at the National Institute of Public Health of Quebec (INSPQ) and professor at Laval University, wants to be reassuring.
He recalls that the reopening of the day camps was authorized with several measures and recommendations to reduce the risk of transmission.
When we talk about [réduire] transmission risks, that does not mean that there will be no cases.
Currently, if you look at the data on the day camps, there have been a few small outbreaks, but it seems that in general it is going quite well.
, estimates Gaston De Serres.
On the side of the Association des camps du Québec, they say they are not surprised by the situation.
When we embarked on this adventure of opening day camps this summer, we knew that there was not a zero risk
, says Anne-Frédérique Morin, Deputy Director General of the Association des camps du Québec.
According to Ms. Morin, the particularity of this outbreak is the large number of cases of contamination, but the response was rapid, she assures.
This is the first time, whether in Montérégie or elsewhere in Quebec, that these are cases deemed to be high risk.
The decision to remove a child from a day camp in the event of COVID-19 symptoms is up to the local health department, recalls Anne-Frédérique Morin.
Since May, the Association des camps du Québec has posted a guide to relaunching camps in the context of the pandemic on its website.
The publication, intended for managers of this type of establishment, recalls, among other things, the health measures to be observed, such as physical distancing, the prioritization of outdoor activities and the limitation of physical contact.
A few weeks before returning to class, we are not immune to such outbreaks in schools, says Gaston De Serres. But it will be a question of balance, he says.
This is to reduce contamination at very low levels to avoid having to close schools again
.
