In a press conference Thursday, in front of a mobile clinic in Montreal, where thousands of people have converged in recent days to undergo a screening test, Christian Dubé expressed concern about the situation, especially in the Montreal region.
Fifty people were infected in bars in the metropolis, including a dozen in a single establishment.
I asked this morning the director of public health, Mr. Arruda, and also regional public health […] to look at where the outbreaks are in order to understand, not only why we are increasing, but where we are increasing
said the minister.
Recalling that it recently imposed harsh measures at licensed bars and establishments, notably by reducing their hours of opening and selling alcohol, Christian Dubé wants to know if they have been effective or not before reconfiguring the bars of the province. Several cases of contagion in bars occurred before the implementation of these measures, said the minister.
As I speak to you, I have not yet made the connection between the increase in cases in general and the bars. I need to have very precise data. I’m going to rely a lot on public health over the next few hours to see if we can correlate what is going on in bars and before and after our measurements
, said the Minister of Health.
I had warned the bar associations that no danger would come from bars, but at the same time, I must give the runner a chance. Some have done a good job in the past week.
Bars, but also “private parties”
While in Beauce, the national director of public health, Horacio Arruda, explained that the situation in Quebec is assessed hour by hour and that Prime Minister Legault is informed and advised every day on the measures to be taken to control the epidemic.
It is true that bars are recognized in several countries, particularly in the United States which are currently completely in a different condition than ours, but it can be a source of contamination.
, acknowledged Dr. Arruda.
However, he said, we must ensure that if we decided to close them, we would not move the problem elsewhere, especially in private parties that have been the source of many cases of contagion recently.
If you close all the bars, you can transfer the problem to private parties, family gatherings or campsites.
Explaining that public health has several options, including closing bars, Horacio Arruda explained that precise data is still needed before determining what the next step will be.
A meeting involving all the directors of public health was also to be held at the end of the afternoon to take stock of the situation.
Increase in screening resources in Montreal
Regarding queues lasting several hours in front of Montreal screening clinics, Chistian Dubé expressed his dissatisfaction while stressing that new clinics have been opened in Montreal in recent hours to improve the situation.
