Montreal Gazette

‘No time to let our guard down’: Legault

Premier warns Quebecers not to ease up on COVID health protocols

- PHILIP AUTHIER

Premier François Legault has warned he won’t hesitate to hit the brakes on lifting restrictio­ns imposed to fight COVID -19 if Quebecers fail to respect health rules and the coronaviru­s further ravages Quebec.

One day after announcing retail businesses in greater Montreal will reopen as planned on May 25, Legault said he doesn’t want people to get the impression the war is won or that COVID-19 is only a “Montreal thing.”

“We are slowly gaining control of the virus, but the game is not won,” Legault said at his pandemic briefing on Tuesday. “It is encouragin­g, but it’s no time to let our guard down.

“The virus is still prowling, not only in Montreal, but all over Quebec. We must continue to protect ourselves and protect others. If the contagion restarts, we will have to put the brakes on the reopening and put Quebec back on pause.”

Using an example many people will grasp, Legault compared the situation to a hockey game.

“As they say in hockey, it’s not the time to take a stupid penalty and lose the game,” he said.

Horacio Arruda, Quebec’s director of public health, had a similar message, warning people to not get carried away in Montreal now that some restrictio­ns are to be lifted in the coming days.

“We didn’t lose control, but the situation is very fragile,” Arruda said while sitting next to Legault at the news conference.

Arruda noted there have been flare-ups such as the one last week at the Cargill meat plant in Chambly and that it can happen again.

“It is a malicious virus,” he said. “It is still present in Quebec. It has not disappeare­d and that is something we need to understand. We are no longer on pause, we are into reopening, but we are not into a relaxation of physical distancing.”

Legault made the comments as he presented a reasonably encouragin­g update on the pandemic, his second in two days.

Quebec registered 51 new deaths in the last 24 hours, fewer than usual in the last few weeks. On Monday, Quebec registered its lowest number of new deaths since April 12. There were 34 reported fatalities.

The number of new cases is also down. Legault reported a total of 44,197 confirmed cases, an increase of 570 from the day before. That is the lowest number of new cases since April 11.

The data puts increasing pressure on the government to ease other restrictio­ns. While Legault was vague when asked for details, Radio-canada reported Tuesday evening that personal care businesses like hair salons will be allowed to gradually open — starting in the regions — in June.

People who run summer day camps also want answers, as do religious orders. Quebec’s pet grooming industry remains shut down here even if it’s open in other provinces.

But sitting with Legault, Health Minister Danielle Mccann revealed that three long-term care residences, or CHSLDS, that were not previously affected have had outbreaks in the last few days.

Mccann insisted medical teams are now better trained to control the virus, so it has not spread to other parts of the residences.

Two of the newly infected residences are in Quebec City, while the third — the Donald Berman Maimonides Geriatric Centre — is in Côte-st-luc.

Legault announced the province’s attempt to recruit more health-care workers to fill thousands of vacant jobs continues to progress with 145 more returning to the network Monday.

The premier also had a message for the province’s nurses, who decided to show their frustratio­n with their workloads by staging a demonstrat­ion Tuesday outside Legault’s office in Quebec City.

Legault said it’s all well and good for the nurses — members of the Fédération interprofe­ssionnelle de la Santé (FIQ) — to demand more hiring, but added Quebec is unable to fill the postings it has open now.

Legault welcomed news that Canada and the United States have agreed to extend their deal to keep the border closed for another month, until June 21, but said he would like to add July too.

Reacting to news Ontario is setting up a commission of inquiry into the situation in that province’s seniors’ residences, Legault said Quebec is reflecting on ways to launch its own investigat­ion, but after the crisis is over.

Legault added that Economic Developmen­t Minister Pierre Fitzgibbon is working to come to the rescue of the retail industry, including Reitmans Canada Ltd., which is seeking protection from its creditors.

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