SEBASTIEN ST-JEAN via Getty Images
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The significant drop in the number of new cases of COVID-19 recorded in recent days does not mean that Quebecers will be able to put away their masks anytime soon.
Everything indicates that wearing the face cover will remain mandatory in closed public places and public transport until science has found an effective solution, such as a vaccine, to curb the disease, confirmed on Tuesday. Dr Horacio Arruda.
«It will be difficult to tell you that we will stop it as long as we do not have the necessary measures such as the appearance of a vaccine», Declared the national director of public health during a press briefing to present the plan of Quebec for prepare the health network for a possible second wave d’infections.
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Asked about the imposition of wearing a mask outdoors elsewhere in the world, particularly in certain districts of Paris, Dr. Arruda was cautious. Without excluding making the face covering compulsory in “places where it is thought that the two meters cannot be respected”, Like certain gatherings, he recalled that wearing a mask was not a panacea.
«Il ne fAbove all, there would be no risk of wearing the compulsory mask replacing the two-meter distance», He hammered.
A sneaky virus
Dr Arruda reiterated the importance of not reveling in the drop in new cases of COVID-19 identified in recent days across the province.
He justified maintaining the requirement for a face covering by recalling that the virus was still lurking and that a relaxation of health measures could have dramatic consequences.
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Ryan Remiorz / The Canadian Press
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“It’s when we let our guard down that we allow the virus to resume and flare up,” he said. “Lhe amount of protection that the mask can provide by reducing the generation of cases is important because each case generates others, which generate others, which generate others …»
Words that echo those made last week by Dr. Theresa Tam, chief administrator of the Public Health Agency of Canada.
While federal authorities anticipate new outbreaks of the disease until January 2022 Without the arrival of an effective vaccine, Dr. Tam stressed the importance of keeping transmission rates as low as possible to adapt to this “new reality of living with this virus”.
A rapid acceleration in the spread could overwhelm the health care system, potentially pushing up the death rate among those affected, she said.
“It’s a virus that’s going to hit us from behind. We need to relax a littleDr. Arruda illustrated Tuesday, using another of his colorful metaphors.
“In this sense, Iurges all Quebecers to continue washing their hands, distancing themselves and wearing face coverings, until they tell you “it’s behind us”.»
And that, one thing is certain, is not for tomorrow.
See also: the obligation to wear a mask respects the Charter
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