stricter masking in schools would have slowed covid: study

by: jesse feith, montreal gazettequebec’s decision not to implement distance learning options or stricter mask mandates in schools caused covid-19 to spread more in montreal than in other major canadian cities, a new study suggests.the study, released tuesday, looked at how the virus spread in montreal, toronto and calgary after schools reopened last fall, comparing transmission among different age groups.it considered the approaches taken in the three cities, including whether or not mask mandates were added in schools and if children were required to attend classes in person.for simona bignami, a demographer and professor at the université de montréal involved in the study, the findings illustrate some of the reasons why montreal was hit so hard last fall.“despite quebec implementing other restrictions before ontario and alberta, the fact that there were insufficient measures in schools really created the second wave of infection we saw in montreal,” bignami said in an interview tuesday.the study focused on transmission in the cities between mid-august and mid-january. it describes montreal as an “extreme example” of the negative consequences not opting for stricter measures in schools can have on the spread of covid-19.community transmission was relatively low in all three cities around the time schools reopened last fall. and while they all opted for some form of a “bubble” approach to classes, they differed when it came to masking mandates and distance learning options.in toronto and calgary, distance learning options were made available to parents from the start of the school year. in montreal, as per the provincial government’s decision, in-person attendance was mandatory except for limited health exemptions.the study notes the use of masks in schools and limiting physical presence in classrooms are both recommended as mitigating measures by the world health organization, but weren’t equally applied by the cities.both toronto and calgary had stricter mask mandates for students than montreal did, with the quebec government only adding the measure for elementary classrooms in january.as the second wave took hold, transmission trends in children and teens in toronto and calgary paralleled what was happening among adults.in montreal, however, cases first increased among children before later increasing among adults, suggesting the virus spreading in schools fueled community transmission.“mandatory in-person schooling without universal mask mandates (which remain limited to children in grade 5 and higher) have contributed to increased community transmission in montreal,” the study concludes.the study was published online tuesday as a preprint article, meaning it has not yet been peer-reviewed.bignami said she believes its findings highlight the role transmission in schools has played in the pandemic and are especially timely given montreal is now fighting the rise of coronavirus variants among students.montreal public health officials believe the new strains, in particular the more transmissible b.1.1.7 variant, are spreading through children contracting the virus at school or daycare and transmitting it to their parents.bignami praised montreal public health’s aggressive approach to suppressing variants in schools through quicker interventions. she also spoke highly of a pilot project that has made parents in neighbourhoods with the most suspected variant cases eligible for vaccination.but she questioned whether quebec should be adding measures in schools to prevent what happened last fall from recurring.“i think right now with all the variants circulating in montreal,” she said, “there needs to be a more open discussion about what to do in the short term.”on tuesday, the quebec government announced that students in secondary 3, 4 and 5 will be back in school full-time in red zones on march 29.as of march 16, montreal was reporting 175 cases of covid-19 tied to 38 outbreaks in schools. sixteen of those outbreaks are believed to involve variants.jfeith@postmedia.comall our coronavirus-related news can always be found at montrealgazette.com/tag/coronavirus.sign up for our email newsletter dedicated to local covid-19 coverage at montrealgazette.com/coronavirusnews.help support our local journalism by subscribing to the montreal gazette here.