Quebec reopens some elementary schools, daycares after COVID-19 shutdowns

Quebec children have begun heading back to class today for the first time since March as the province reopens elementary schools and daycares outside the Montreal area.

Quebec is the first province to open schools following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, and school officials say it will be far from business as usual.

Students are being met by staff wearing masks and in some cases face shields, and they are being told to follow physical-distancing rules and wash their hands frequently.

Libraries, gyms and cafeterias will be closed, and children will spend most of the day at their desks.

Attendance isn't mandatory, and some school boards have indicated that most parents are keeping their children home for now.

Schools in the Montreal area, which continues to be hit hard by the novel coronavirus, will remain closed until at least May 25, while high schools and junior colleges won't be back until the fall.