Closed ‘until further notice’
City takes steps to curb spread of virus
The city ramped up its measures to fight the spread of coronavirus Thursday, announcing it will lock down its arenas, libraries, pools and any facility that can accommodate more than 250 people.
This includes the planetarium, botanical gardens and Centre Claude Robillard, all of which are closed “until further notice” according to Mayor Valérie Plante.
Plante says the city has also set up a command centre at its fire station on Mount Royal, combining representatives from police, Urgences Santé and the fire department to respond to the pandemic as it evolves.
“I understand that some people might be scared, but I hope that by putting these measures in place people feel reassured,” Plante said during a press conference Thursday. “There’s no reason to panic because I don’t think panic helps in a situation like this . ... These may seem like extreme measures, but it would be extreme if we didn’t take proactive steps.”
Despite the lockdown on crowds in confined spaces, Plante said the métro and buses will continue operating.
“This is a vital part of our city, health care workers need the métro to get to the hospital, people need to do their groceries, there’s no question of shutting it down right now,” Plante said. “People need to practise good individual hygiene and wash their hands after getting off the métro.”
Meanwhile, about 20 of the city’s 28,000 employees are self-isolating and working from home since they all returned from travelling abroad. Plante says each department within the city is making sure employees who recently left the country stay home for at least two weeks.
Some will be able to work remotely, but others — like building inspectors or parking attendants — won’t be able to do their jobs. The city will continue paying them and Plante says its human resources department will hire retired workers on a temporary basis to help bolster the fight against COVID -19.
The mayor’s office also met with representatives from homeless shelters Thursday to ensure that “the most vulnerable” Montrealers aren’t exposed to contagion. “The situation is stable ... but it changes hour by hour,” Plante said.
Earlier Thursday, Plante went on a walkabout in Chinatown to show support for merchants, who have said that business has declined sharply since the beginning of the coronavirus outbreak, which was declared a pandemic on Wednesday.
“The merchants are suffering. The restaurants are empty,” said Pauline Wong, honorary president of Chinese Family Services, who accompanied Plante during the visit.
Plante said she was there to show solidarity with the Chinese-canadian community and called on Montrealers to guard against stigmatizing members of that or any other cultural community in connection with the pandemic.
The mayor said she was in close contact with provincial and federal officials and would follow their lead before taking any measures to limit Montrealers’ movements.
“The plan that we currently have in place is to ensure that if ever the virus spread rapidly, we would be able to help the public to continue its activities or at least to have access to the necessary care,” she said.
For example, if necessary, the city could consider asking employers to stagger employees’ hours to limit huge rush hour crowds in the public transit network, she said.
In the meantime, Montrealers should practise safety measures like washing their hands, cough into their elbow, and call 811 if they believe they might have contracted the virus, said Plante, adding she has been washing her hands 20 times a day.