Sanitary measures ignored: Public health must act “without delay” to close the premises | COVID-19 | News | The sun

Lundi, we learned that the Mega Fitness Gym is responsible for 171 cases of COVID-19 in Quebec, as well as about twenty outbreaks in the workplace.

The gym was closed Wednesday (March 31) under the order of the Public Health of the Capitale-Nationale for “obvious health deficiencies”. The outbreak in the fitness center was first declared on Saturday (March 27).

This is the first time since the start of the pandemic that the CIUSSS de la Capitale-Nationale has affected a business in this way.

In a letter sent to all the directors of Public Health in the province, the Minister of Health and Social Services recalls “that this pandemic constitutes a real threat to the health of the population within the meaning of the Public Health Act”.

In the midst of an epidemiological investigation, article 106 of this law allows directors “to order the closure of a place or to allow access only to certain people or under certain conditions and to display a notice to this effect. or even order the cessation of an activity ”.

It is not necessary to wait for the end of the epidemiological investigation to act, insisted Minister Dubé.

“After validation with the National Director of Public Health, Doctor Horacio Arruda, he confirms to me that as soon as you have good reason to believe that the measures or protocols are not being applied, you must act. You can complete your survey later. You must therefore act promptly and without delay when you see that your actions can help protect the health of the population, ”he wrote.

“Such a use could prevent certain regions from switching to a higher alert level or even avoid taking extreme measures, as we have experienced in recent days,” added the Minister.

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