After opposition demands for a greater government presence in the face of the rise in COVID-19 cases, Health Minister Christian Dubé appealed for caution on Thursday, a few hours from family gatherings scheduled for the long Easter holiday.
Mr. Dubé particularly warned the elderly because of their vulnerability in this sixth wave of contagion.
“These people who are older, more vulnerable, they are the ones who should be a little more careful, especially during the Easter weekend,” he said in a press briefing.
Mr. Dubé echoed the broader message of the interim national director of public health, Luc Boileau.
“Then I think Dr. Boileau, what he said was, ‘Let’s not take unnecessary risks,'” he said.
Mr. Dubé also acknowledged that wearing a mask remains an important tool in the fight against the virus. He was reacting to a hypothesis that Mr. Boileau could extend the duration of this measure beyond the scheduled date of April 30.
“I’ll let him finalize his decision on that, but you see, you feel a lot safer when you have the mask on,” he said.
Mr. Boileau said Thursday in a radio interview with 98.5 that it study the possibility of recommending to the government to extend the wearing of the mask for two weeks.
In an interview published in the edition of To have to from Thursday, regional director of public health Mylène Drouin also pleaded for the maintenance of the wearing of masks in public places until the cases of COVID-19 clearly decrease.
On Wednesday, the Liberal Party of Quebec, Quebec solidaire (QS) and the Parti Quebecois had asked the government to be more present by relaying public health messages in particular.
Mr. Dubé stressed that these calls are contradictory since the oppositions have demanded more independence of public health from members of the government.
“You have noticed that, for the past few months, Public Health has been taking press briefings alone, and they are making recommendations to us. So they have to make up their minds. Do they want Public Health that is independent or under political influence? “, he asked while insisting on the independence of Mr. Boileau.
Mr. Dubé rejected the accusations of QS MP Vincent Marissal, who argued that the government is less present on the front lines of the pandemic due to the approach of the elections in October.
“I have been associated with the management of the pandemic for two years and then I am very proud of the work we have done,” he said.
Mr. Dubé warned that the increase in the number of cases will continue to put pressure on the health network, where 13,000 employees are absent.
“It’s going to be tough in the ER for the next two weeks,” he said.