Quebec day camps to open June 22 across the province

Quebec day camps get go-ahead Quebec’s day camps can open this summer, said Premier Francois Legault, though groups will be smaller.

Montreal — Quebec day camps will open as of June 22 across the province, Quebec Premier Francois Legault announced Thursday.

Camp groups will be smaller in size, and have smaller counsellor-to-child ratios, with physical distancing directives in place, Legault added.

Legault called on young Quebecers across the province to sign up to be camp counsellors this summer.

"Children need to see each other and to get moving," Legault said.

Sleepaway camps will not open this summer but should return in 2021, Legault said.

Some sleepaway camps for special needs children could still open this summer, he added.

As with all of the recent easing of restrictions that had been put in place in Quebec to fight the spread of COVID-19, Legault said the camps would open only if the COVID-19 situation remains stable in the province.

Asked about a possible reopening of public pools as well, Legault said an announcement about that would be made in the coming days.

There are now 3,800 people who have died of COVID-19 in Quebec, health authorities announced Thursday, as confirmed cases in the province reached 45,495.

That’s up 82 from the 3,718 deaths reported Wednesday; COVID-19 cases in Quebec rose 720 from the 44,775 announced a day earlier.

Of those newly announced deaths, 25 ocurred more than five days ago,

There are 1,504 people being treated for COVID-19 in Quebec hospitals as of Thursday, down 12 from the 1,516 reported Wednesday. Of those in a hospital, 176 are in intensive care, down seven from the 183 reported 24 hours earlier.

The number of people in Quebec who have recovered from COVID-19 as of Thursday was 13,327 up 505 from the 12,822 recoveries reported a day earlier.

Legault is spending Thursday in Montreal, which remains the epicentre of COVID-19 in Canada.

As of Thurday, Montreal had 23,064 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 2,411 deaths related to it. See a regional breakdown of COVID-19 across Quebec here.