1) Three months after reopening bars in the #pandemic, Premier François Legault is closing them again in the greater Montreal area and two other regions. He said he's doing so for the sake of our schools. In this thread, I'll suggest what more needs to be done to protect schools.

2) In placing Montreal, Quebec City and Chaudière-Apallaches on red alert, Legault imposed a series of new restrictions. But he spoke of no new measures to shield the province’s more than 3,000 public and private schools from #COVID19. That must change quickly.

3) The experience of other countries is demonstrating that schools can become major sources of #COVID19 outbreaks. In France, one-third of new clusters under investigation have been traced to schools and universities.

4) In the Czech Republic, the major of Prague has gone so far as to describe schools as “COVID trading exchanges” after a surge in cases. As Australian epidemiologist @DrZoeHyde has pointed out, students in the Czech Republic are not required to wear masks in the classroom.

5) On Monday, the Education Ministry did not provide a promised update on schools affected in the #pandemic. According to http://covidecolesquebec.org , 578 schools have had at least one student or employee testing positive as of Monday night. That is nearly 19% of Quebec's schools.

6) In Montreal Herzliah High School will stay closed until Oct. 5 because of a #COVID19 outbreak. In Longueuil, École secondaire Gérard-Filion will remain shuttered until Oct. 13 after 26 students and seven teachers tested positive for the #coronavirus.

7) One of the opposition parties is recommending class sizes be cut to 15 students max in red zones. Although no one can be against such an idea, it could prove difficult to implement, given the current shortage of teachers. But there are two simple and inexpensive alternatives.

8) Quebec should heed the pleas of parents and schools in requiring that students wear masks in the classroom to protect themselves against the airborne #coronavirus. The other idea is to finally authorize the use of the COVID Alert app, an option that’s now under consideration.

10) Meanwhile, Montreal posted 245 #COVID19 cases Monday, down from 375 the day before. Please look at the rising orange line in the chart below. Nonetheless, the city’s seven-day average climbed to 114.84 cases per million population, positioning the city in red-alert territory.

11) At the neighborhood level, I continue to be astonished by the extent to which the centre of the city is posting the biggest daily #COVID19 numbers, as the chart below shows. It appears Côte-des-Neiges, Park-Extension and downtown are now forming the city’s new epicenter.

12) The number of hospitalizations has dipped by five in the past two days. The McGill University Health Centre is observing an uptick in the last few days after hardly any cases more than a week ago, according to the chart below. Obviously, this is something to keep monitoring.

13) In addition to schools, Quebec’s hospitals need protecting, especially the overflowing emergency rooms. (See the chart below). For minor ailments, people should go see their family doctor instead — if they have one. End of thread. Practice #PhysicalDistancing and wear a mask.