LCanada’s deputy public health administrator, Dr. Howard Njoo, said on Friday that there is “cause for concern” about the increasing number of cases related to bars and nightclubs, particularly among young people. He urged Canadians to be creative while maintaining their social lives.
“Singing, socializing and dancing in close contact with others in closed spaces, in crowded places, is not a good way to party this summer,” said Dr. Njoo.
Experts say opening bars is risky, but they also recognize that Canada has successfully controlled the pandemic within its borders. Summer, they say, offers authorities the opportunity to provide social relief to people in a controlled setting.
Dr. Isaac Bogoch, an infectious disease expert at the Toronto General Hospital and associate professor of medicine at the University of Toronto, is not surprised by the bar-related outbreaks.
Like any indoor space where people congregate for hours, he warns that bars are places where infections can spread quickly.
“You drink alcohol and you become uninhibited,” says Dr. Bogoch. It is much less likely that people will adhere to physical distance measurements in these environments. ”
COVID-19 outbreaks in bars have happened around the world and in Canada.
Outbreaks have been linked to stripping clubs and private parties in British Columbia. In Montreal, people lined up for hours to get tested after public health officials recommended it to anyone who had been to a bar since July 1.
There have been no less than 30 new cases linked to a bar.
Dr. Bogoch hopes the Montreal scenario will serve as a “wake-up call” for healthy young Canadians to remember how the pandemic is affecting communities. As did the director of public health of Quebec, Dr. Horacio Arruda, he recalled the cardinal rules: physical distancing, hygiene, like washing hands, and wearing a face covering.
The professor believes that it is inevitable to see young people in their twenties and thirties meet during the pandemic, whether the bars are open or not, especially after an emotionally difficult period of confinement.
“People are hungry for social interactions. They’re looking for them, says Dr. Bogoch. Rather than blaming them, we should be looking for ways to do it more safely. ”
According to him, establishments could distribute masks and install disinfection stations, or add seats outside to reduce the overall probability of spread.
Colin Furness, an epidemiologist and assistant professor in the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto, is concerned that people tend to mitigate or minimize risks.
It is not surprising that young people try to justify meeting in a group after feeling trapped for months. Above all, they heard messages that the symptoms were less severe for their age group.
“The feeling of self at this age is very linked to social relationships with others. Finding yourself isolated because of COVID-19 is really brutal, very harmful for this age group, ”says Furness.
He too thinks that governments could take advantage of a period of low community spread to modify certain regulations to make life easier for young adults, especially those concerning the consumption of alcohol in the open air.
Authorities must be cautious, but also creative, allowing business reopenings in a way that meets people’s social needs, adds Furness.
“There is room for creativity. Instead of talking about prohibition, how can we channel this 1/8 need for social relationships 3/8 in a less dangerous way? ”
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