Sports, art activities between class groups to be allowed on Sept. 14, Legault says

Students in Quebec will be allowed to participate in school sports and art activities between class groups startingSept. 14 if there isn't a surge in COVID-19 cases over thenext two weeks, PremierFranois Legault said Friday.

"I hope that everything will go well and that, in two weeks, our children, our young people, will be able to start scoring goals again in all kinds of sports and havingfun in all kinds of artistic activities," Legaultsaid at a news conference.

The announcement comes only a day after Education Minister Jean-Franois Robergesaidactivities wouldbe restricted to class bubbles until October.

Roberge's remarksimmediately sparked an online petition that quickly garnered tens of thousandsof signatures.

There was even a protest in Quebec City Friday morning. Gatheringin front of the National Assembly, students, parents and many sports program managers decried the restriction on inter-class activities.

They argued it made no sense,given such activities are allowed outside of school and many teams started training together during the summer.

Legault said Friday the government made the decision in collaboration with public health to prevent widespread COVID-19 outbreaks in schools.

The aim has always been to relax the restriction in time, once authorities see how things are going.

The situation will be monitored and re-evaluated over the coming two weeks, the premier explained, but if everybody is following the rules and there are no serious outbreaks, then it will be possible to restart all the activities between classes.

Legault acknowledged that there was clearly disappointment and frustration after Thursday's announcement.

"We have to be careful. Parents are scared about this situation," he said on Friday. "What we decided for a first step is to keep the children in schools within one classroom including for sports and arts."

Quebec public health director Dr. Horacio Arrudasaid on Friday that these activitiesare essential to children's health and schooling. He said health authorities recognize it needs to return such programming to normal.

Schools support decision to wait 2 weeks

Jean-Frdric Gagn,the sports co-ordinator at Saint-Jean-Eudes school in Quebec City, was among those relieved by Legault's decision.

"This is good news for Quebec school football teams," he told Radio-Canada. "Sept. 14 will allow sports officials to set a calendar and provide a quality season for our student athletes."

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David Bowles feels the same way. He is principal at the Collge Charles-Lemoyneon Montreal's South Shoreand president of theFdration des tablissements d'enseignement priv an association that represents 193 Quebec private schools.

He said it was frustrating to hear in late August that all sports and other activities in schools were to be suspended.

It was long understood that they would be allowed as they are allowed outside of schools, he said, so "for us it was completely incoherent that we needed to stop our sports programs."

For a lot of students, sports are the main motivation to stay in school and now Bowlesthinkseverybody is relieved to hear Friday's announcement.

"We're hoping that everything will go well and we can start out our seasons on the 15th," he said.