Montreal students can empty out their knapsacks, because schools will remain closed until at least September, according to the latest update from government officials.

On Thursday, Premier François Legault, accompanied by Mayor Valérie Plante, announced that schools in the Montreal area won't reopen until the next school year formally begins.

Legault called it a "fragile" situation.

On sait que la situation est bonne en dehors de la région de Montréal, mais elle reste fragile dans la communauté métropolitaine.

Je remercie tous les Québécois de la région de Montréal de votre discipline.

🎥Suivez notre point de presse en direct 👇https://t.co/d6UESYdO19

— François Legault (@francoislegault) May 14, 2020

He said that the government has "concluded that the conditions are not met" to reopen schools in the Montreal region at this time.

Elementary schools and daycares in Montreal were originally set to open May 11. The date was then postponed until May 25, and now it seems that children will have to wait at least a few more months before returning to class.

Elementary shools outside of the Montreal area opened on May 11 with a number of strict guidelines in place, including a maximum of 15 students in each classroom and restricting schoolyard activities to non-contact sports (e.g. footraces, hopscotch).

Quebec has always planned for high schools and CEGEPs to remain closed until September.

On Monday, McGill University announced that it will begin classes primarily online in September in a bid to allow all students to attend, regardless of their location.

Universities in Canada are preparing to offer most of their courses online for Fall semester https://t.co/MZmfGHP7js #Canada #CoronavirusCanada #COVIDCanada #Ontario #BritishColumbia #Quebec

— Freshdaily (@freshdaily) May 12, 2020

Government officials said that daycares will reopen on June 1, if the public health situation allows for it.

Quebec continues to be the hardest-hit province in Canada, with over 40,000 cases of COVID-19. Montreal accounts for roughly half of those cases, with over 20,000 infections as of Thursday.