Quebec stays ‘on pause’ until May 4
With COVID-19 peak weeks away, Legault extends business closings
With the number of confirmed cases of COVID -19 in Quebec nudging 8,000 and rising, Premier François Legault announced Sunday he is extending the shutdown of all but essential businesses in the province until at least May 4.
At his daily news conference on the pandemic Sunday, Legault said Quebec lost 19 more people to COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus, for a total of 94. Quebec had at least 7,944 confirmed cases by Sunday, an increase of 947 from Saturday.
Quebec is home to more than half of Canada’s total of 15,443 people with confirmed cases of COVID-19 and public health authorities confirmed over the weekend that community transmission is now the main source of infection across the province. This prompted more police checkpoints on the weekend; access to Charlevoix and Rouyn-noranda is now restricted. Legault insisted again that Quebec has tested more per capita and focused its testing on those most likely to test positive.
Legault said the peak in new cases is still projected to be a couple of weeks away, even though Quebecers are by and large complying with public health orders.
Until the numbers start to come down, Legault said it would be unwise to reopen non-essential businesses.
Asked whether the effects of the business shutdown may be more devastating than the effects of the disease, Legault said health considerations must come first right now.
“As long as we are in the climbing phase of this huge crisis, it’s health that counts,” he said. “When the curb starts to come down — and specialists are saying we could have another crisis in the fall, or in the coming years — at that point we will have to balance (health precautions) with the economy. The reason we are putting all our efforts into health now is so that we must give time to the health care system to be able to handle this first important wave.”
Legault congratulated Quebecers on their compliance with public health advice so far. He pointed to a Google mobility report that tracks changes in visits to places like grocery stores and parks in communities. Legault said the report shows Quebec is the jurisdiction that respects “stay-at-home” orders most among U.S. states and Canadian provinces.
“It’s not just a question of pride in being first, what’s important is that it will give concrete results,” Legault said. “So bravo, bravo, bravo.”
Legault said a shortage of protective equipment in Quebec’s healthcare system remains a concern, as 525 people are currently hospitalized with COVID -19, 154 of them in intensive care. Quebec has enough N95 masks and gloves for the next 13 days, and enough surgical masks and gowns for the next seven days.
On Saturday, Health Minister Danielle Mccann said health officials are looking at sourcing substitute products for drugs such as Propofol, whose supply may be constrained — even turning to old drugs that were previously in use. Quebec has also decided to centralize the drug procurement instead of letting individual hospitals buy their own supplies.
Hospitals should once again perform some “semi-urgent” operations this week, including cancer-related surgeries, Mccann said. Urgent cancer cases are still being operated on.
“The battle is far from over; in fact we are entering the decisive phase of this battle,” Legault said, repeating his mantra to stay at home as much as possible, keep six feet away from others when out, and wash hands thoroughly and frequently. “Every action counts more than ever, each gesture saves lives.”
Legault was joined Sunday by Quebec’s minister of economy and innovation Pierre Fitzgibbon, who announced a new initiative to encourage the purchase of Quebec-made goods online. The not-for-profit website, which will cost the government $250,000 to launch, will be called Le Panier Bleu (the blue basket). It will provide an inventory of Quebec-made goods, from which consumers can link to company websites to buy.
Fitzgibbon said if each Quebec household would spend $5 more per week on Quebec products, it would mean $1 billion for an economy that will need all the help it can get to come out of this crisis. He said it is “not anti-free trade” to encourage local purchases.
The extension of the blackout period will hurt businesses, but federal programs to support businesses and workers will provide a safety net, he said, and allow businesses the time to plan for their futures in a new POST-COVID world.
Business groups acknowledged the necessity of extending the economic blackout period, agreeing that health concerns must trump business needs until it is clear the crisis has peaked.
“It’s a decision that most of us were probably expecting,” said Yves-thomas Dorval, president of the Conseil du patronat du Québec.
Dorval said the government should consider allowing a progressive return to operations by certain companies before May 4. “If some businesses can demonstrate that all the criteria for prevention of COVID-19 transmission are in place, criteria that will be necessary in any case after the crisis, and for a long time, we believe a gradual relaunch of activities could be possible.”
The CPQ is asking Quebec’s workplace safety watchdog, the CNESST, to work with public health authorities to produce detailed guides for workplaces outlining measures needed to prevent the spread of the virus among workers and clients.
Michel Leblanc, president of the Metropolitan Montreal Board of Trade, said a survey shows 91 per cent of area businesses have had to suspend or slow down because of the crisis.
Leblanc encouraged local business owners to take advantage of the pause to explore new ways of doing business that respect physical distancing requirements. “We have to be innovative, show creativity and collaboration to ensure that economic activity can resume as soon as possible.”