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| - Several thousand people protested Sunday in the Canadian city of Quebec to demand the local government resume youth team sports interrupted by the pandemic. The protesters, which included many families, waved signs that read "Our kids need to move," "Let our children breathe" and "Sports must be part of the solution," according to local media. The "March to restart sports" was organized by a young football-playing student, Isaac Pepin, who sent out an appeal on social media, saying: "Let's allow our young people to resume practicing their sports." More than 5,000 people said they would attend on the event's Facebook page, which called to "show the government that it's time for young people, for their physical and mental health, to resume sports." Several athletes, including mogul ski champion Mikael Kingsbury, supported the cause. Quebecois prime minister Francois Legault is expected to soon unveil his plan for easing of restrictions on sports. As of Sunday, Quebec has recorded more than 290,000 coronavirus cases and 10,472 deaths -- nearly half the deaths recorded in Canada since the start of the pandemic a year ago. ps/lpt/to/bgs
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