Diodati did not set good examples: Hirji
Medical officer of health says physical distancing still most effective tool to limit the spread
Niagara Falls Mayor Jim Diodati was not “showing the kind of leadership and example,” public health officials recommend when he appeared to violate COVID-19 infection control measures while at a Sunday religious celebration, said Niagara’s acting medical officer of health.
Dr. Mustafta Hirji said both Diodati’s appearance — which included removing his mask and standing in a group of people — and the Eid celebration at a Niagara Falls mosque do not appear to conform to the public health guidelines designed to limit the spread of the potentially lethal virus. Public health officials have urged people to stay at least two metres apart and when that kind of physical distancing is not possible, wearing masks is recommended.
The provincial government has also limited gatherings to no more than five people under its emergency orders, which have been extended until June 9.
In a video posted on his Twitter account from the Eid event — it is a celebration that marks the end of the month of Ramadan — at the Peace Mosque Islamic Community and Conference Centre, Diodati is standing in the centre of at least 10 people, including young boys, and appears to be closer than two meters from some of them.
He is not wearing a mask in the video, during which he wishes everyone Eid Mubarak, points out that members of the local Muslim community are frontline workers and says many of them were there handing out toys.
A photo of the event posted to social media criticized the mayor for not setting a good example.
In an interview with the Niagara Falls Review Tuesday, Diodati said the photo, which appears to be a still image from his video, was “misleading” and attacked people with “accusatory agendas.”
Diodati said he did have a mask but decided to take it off for the video because it would be hard to hear him.
The mayor decided against hanging the mask off his ear during the video, he said, “to make it look good.”
Public health recommendations do not have exemptions for appearances or for clarity of speech.
In a response to a question from a Christian pastor Kevin Bayne on Twitter Wednesday, the mayor said “my interpretation of the provincial order is that a gathering of more than 5 is illegal. We must differentiate between gathering and distancing.”
Religious services are a known sources of spread for the novel coronavirus. In the United States, large church services have resulted in infections, and Hirji said some of Ontario’s earliest clusters of COVID-19 cases are linked to religious activity.
“Some of the earliest cases were in people who had returned from a pilgrimage in Iran,” said Hirji. “There is a reason why large gatherings are not recommended. At the mosque I attend we did not have our usual Eid celebrations. It was all done virtually.”
But in his response to the pastor on Twitter, Diodati said he believes that “common sense must prevail.” Bayne replied by saying he agreed with Diodati and was glad to know the Eid event was not illegal because he had cancelled church events that would have more than five people.
Hirji said Diodati’s actions appear to be part of a larger political issue in Ontario, where political leaders are so focused on the issue of COVID-19 testing that they are not promoting physical distancing and hand hygiene, the best ways to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus. Outdoor events will not limit the spread of the virus, he said.
While testing is a key tool used to identify COVID-19 cases and allows public health to launch contract tracing investigations to local other infections, it does not prevent the spread of the virus.
Although Niagara’s rate of infection has flattened considerably in recent weeks — there were no new cases confirmed Wednesday — Hirji is concerned that if people back away from infection control measures, the infection will start to climb and undo what has been accomplished to date.