Team sports to gradually resume in Quebec amid coronavirus pandemic

Quebec will allow some team sports to slowly resume as the province continues to ease restrictions designed to limit the novel coronavirus.

Premier François Legault spoke about the development during his briefing on Thursday, saying the return to outdoor team sports will be gradual. Soccer and baseball will be allowed to start on June 8, but games are still not permitted.

“There will be new protocols with sports federations to restart training and we are making progress to restart games as well,” he said.

Isabelle Charest, the province’s junior education minister, explained that sports will look a bit different for a while since physical-distancing measures must be maintained.

“We are aware there will be a lot of changes to be made,” she said.

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Charest, a former Olympic short-track speed skater, said she believes children will be able to adapt to the new rules as they have done with the return to school. They will still benefit from sports and get to see their friends — even with changes, she added.

“The physical benefits are going to be there,” she said. “They are going to be playing, they are going to be developing skills, they are going to be active.”

Under the plan, private pools open to the public, such as those on campgrounds, may also reopen as of June 8. Individual outdoor sports, such as yoga, are also permitted to resume.

‘Nobody wants to go back’

As the province scales back rules, Legault is also calling on Quebecers to not let their guard down. He is reminding people to stay two metres apart and keep up hygiene measures to quash COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus.

Quebec is headed in the right direction, he added.

“Nobody wants to go back,” he said. “So let’s be careful.”

3:26 Coronavirus outbreak: Outdoor team sports to gradually resume in Quebec

READ MORE: Quebec looks to revive economy weakened by coronavirus crisis by fast tracking infrastructure projects

Quebec is the hardest-hit province in Canada by the health crisis, but the number of daily cases and hospitalizations continues to slowly decline.

The province has had 52,143 infections to date, after seeing 259 new cases on Thursday. The death toll stands at 4,885 after 91 more fatalities were reported from the previous day.

The number of hospitalizations decreased for the second straight day to 1,076. There are 146 people in intensive care.

More applications for long-term care jobs

Quebec has been flooded with thousands of applications for jobs in long-term care homes, according to Legault.

He said 79,000 people have submitted their applications to take part in the three-month course that begins in mid-June.

“I want to thank everyone who answered the call,” he said.

The government has launched a campaign to train and hire 10,000 orderlies to fill the gaps in the beleagured long-term care system, which faces critical staffing shortages.

Legault added that he is confident Quebec would be able to keep the Canadian soldiers who have been deployed in understaffed CHSLDs until September.

As of June 3, over 64 per cent of COVID-19 deaths in Quebec have been in the CHSLDs.

— With files from the Canadian Press