françois legault now recommends quebecers wear masks when they go out
premier changes safety message from the past, saying covid-19 won't leave quebec for a long time and "we'll have to learn to live with it."
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by philip authier
quebec — seen in public with a face mask for the first time, premier françois legault on tuesday could not have had a clearer message for quebecers as the covid-19 pandemic drags on.
if you leave your home, wear one.
“the virus won’t leave quebec for a long time,” legault said at his pandemic briefing at the national assembly. “we’ll have to learn to live with it. a good way to to greatly reduce the contagion is to wear a mask. we strongly recommend that you do.
“i ask all quebecers, in montreal or the rest of quebec, when you leave your homes, put on a mask. if you see your mother, if you go in a store, especially if you take the bus, wear a mask.”
a political football for weeks, quebec has given mixed signals about the need for masks. when the pandemic started 61 days ago, officials said the best way to fight the virus was proper hygiene, including washing hands, and physical distancing.
the mask was mentioned, but was not a priority measure because health officials said it created a false sense of security.
that all changed tuesday with legault arriving for his briefing wearing a mask, as did health minister danielle mccann and the quebec director of public health, horacio arruda.
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legault explained his face covering was a gift from a laval woman, marilou bergeron, who makes them from home as a member of the volunteer group les couzeuzes. it is not a medical mask but a face covering.
seeing the look on reporters’ faces when he walked in, legault said he knows it will take some getting used to. unlike some countries, masks are not part of quebec’s culture, the premier noted.
legault said he was convinced it was time to send a strong message on masks because he is seeing more and more people leaving their homes with the gradual lifting of the lockdown.
“we’ll get used to it,” legault said. “it’s a good practice. it will help us get back to a normal life faster. the mask is to protect others. it is not to protect ourselves.”
for now, quebec is not obliging quebecers to wear masks, as some countries have. arruda said such measures are likely to be challenged in the courts. he has not, however, ruled out making masks obligatory in the long run.
“in order to put it as a requirement, to make it obligatory, you have to prove that it is efficient,” legault added.
there are also questions about whether quebec could actually supply enough masks to meet the demand, which is the main concern of montreal mayor valérie plante. legault announced he will meet plante later this week in montreal, along with local health officials. it will be the first time legault visits montreal in two months.
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legault used the pitch for masks to illustrate a point that quebec is not out of the woods as far as the virus goes and more covid-19 eruptions are possible.
“it won’t be a quiet river,” he said. “i am not saying the coming months will be easy.”
legault said quebec finds itself in a paradox. it has greatly increased its testing capacity to about 16,000 a day, but now faces a shortage of people to test. last week it managed 11,000 tests a day, which is below the stated target of 14,000.
“i am appealing to people who, for example, are in hot zones like montreal or laval,” legault said. “go get yourselves tested.”
covid-19 is taking its toll in other ways. with the national assembly to sit for a half day wednesday, legault revealed the province is now headed for a deficit of between $12 billion and $15 billion. the unemployment rate is 17 per cent.
legault will face opposition questions over his handling of the pandemic for the first time. on tuesday, a new léger poll revealed legault’s approval ratings have dropped in the last few days.
among the most vocal to attack the premier will be dominique anglade, the newly named leader of the quebec liberal party. before proceedings wednesday, the flag on the main tower of the legislature will be lowered to half-mast in memory of victims of the pandemic. to respect the rules of physical distancing, only 36 of 125 mnas will be present.
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with the victoria day long weekend approaching, arruda advised people who want to open their summer cottages to proceed carefully and not circulate in the community. that means buying food and weekend supplies before getting there.
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