The Parti Quebecois is calling for a partial and gradual deconfinement plan for sports for young people by Christmas.
Currently, Quebec schoolchildren gather in shopping centers, but cannot practice their favorite physical activity, whatever it is. The Legault government put all organized sports on hiatus in the red zone two months ago.
“We must get out of the wall to wall and the generalized ban on sport to arrive with an analysis based on science, sport by sport,” said PQ leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon, in an interview with our parliamentary office.
He is worried about the mental and physical health of young people. According to the sovereignist leader, children cannot go for months without doing physical activities and sports.
“The crisis is far from over, from what we see, so we have a responsibility towards these young people to allow them what is possible. If this is not possible for reasons of prevention of contagion [de pratiquer certains sports], people will accept it, but we must at least make the effort to see what is possible in complete safety to get our young people moving a little, we cannot leave them in chains for months and months, this ‘is very unhealthy, ”he insists.
PSPP recalls that the various sports federations have provided the government with a plan to resume activities based on health measures several months ago.
It agrees that some sports cannot be completely deconfined. The risks of contagion during a badminton game are not the same as for a contact hockey game. But some training, with strict distancing rules, is certainly possible, believes the leader of the PQ. Public health must decide on the degree of resumption of different sports.
“Take hockey for example. Maybe Public Health would tell us: “you can’t play games, but we tolerate practices where everyone stays two meters away, [les jeunes] take shots at the net and practice their passes, “he said. It’s a matter of science, not a matter of politics.”
Currently, young hockey players can go skating with a dozen other strangers at the local rink, but cannot train in accordance with health rules under the supervision of a coach.
For PSPP, allowing free activities seems more dangerous than training supervised by adults, which is currently prohibited.
