By Gordon Lambie
On Friday the provincial government listed the Estrie administrative region as one of ten in Quebec that had been targeted for early deployment of rapid test kits for elementary and pre-school facilities. According to a press release from the Ministry of Health and Social Services, more than 155,000 tests capable of producing a result within 15 minutes are being distributed to close to 1,600 schools in the first step of this initiative. The targeted regions are those seen to have a higher risk of outbreaks, and the distribution of the kits is supposed to be focused in neighbourhoods or communities with a greater probability of transmission. Each school is expected to have someone designated to carry out the tests.
As of last Thursday there were 28 schools in the Eastern Townships that have had at least one confirmed case of COVID-19 since the start of this school year, including four from the Eastern Townships School Board: Alexander Galt Regional High School, Knowlton Academy, Parkview Elementary School, and St. Francis Elementary School.
