At the dawn of the election campaign, voices are being raised to remind candidates of different political parties to protect the most vulnerable, particularly in seniors’ residences, where some have been seen rubbing shoulders with elderly people without masks in the last days.
Posted at 3:16 p.m.
“I have seen several photos of MPs and electoral candidates visiting RPAs for the past few weeks, often without masks. I am flabbergasted every time. With the very high number of people they meet, they are at very high risk of being infected, ”denounced the doctor at the Institut universitaire de gériatrie de Montréal on Wednesday, Dr.r David Lussier.
His tweet, shared dozens of times, was accompanied by photos of the Caquiste MP for Marie-Victorin Shirley Dorismond, elected in April during a partial, and the Liberal MP for Verdun Isabelle Melançon. We see the two women in close contact with elders, without wearing a face covering.
Critics had also rocketed this spring, during Marie-Victorin’s partial, against Mme Dorismond, who had again been seen in a private residence for seniors (RPA) without a mask. “You should be well placed to understand that your non-essential visit to an RPA in the midst of the sixth wave puts the people living there at risk. You should set an example,” the professor at the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Montreal, Nathalie Grandvaux, told him.
To date, the government instructions in force indicate that the mask remains compulsory in hospitals and CHSLDs for visitors, but is no longer so in RPAs, where each establishment can dictate its own policy.
Nevertheless, the Dr Lussier has a message for candidates for the elections: “wear a mask in RPA or when you meet groups of seniors”. “It’s not a sign of weakness. It is a sign of respect and kindness for your constituents. You definitely don’t want to be the source of an outbreak,” he insisted.
He also proposes “that all the parties agree that their candidates wear a mask in all indoor gatherings”, in order to “give an example”, but also “to ensure that they can carry out the electoral campaign without interruption” due to COVID-19.
A minimal gesture
Aimed, the liberal Isabelle Melançon was quick to react on social networks on Wednesday. You are quite right. I actually thought about this yesterday and made the decision to put on a mask for my next visits. We have to be careful! Thank you for this collective reminder, ”she wrote to the doctor.
For the virologist and professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at UQAM, Benoit Barbeau, wearing a mask in any health establishment must remain the norm. “Minimally, I think that would be the right thing to do. And especially coming from elected officials, it would be welcome on their part, because they often walk from one residence to another, ”he mentioned.
“I am convinced that elected officials monitor their symptoms and their state of health, but it remains that it is not a good idea to carry around without a mask from one place like this to another. We are still in a wave, even if we hope it is controlled. You have to go there with more caution than otherwise,” added Mr. Barbeau.
The Coalition avenir Québec (CAQ) maintained on Wednesday that it was “already planned for our candidates to wear the mask in the presence of vulnerable people in residences for the elderly”. “The virus is still circulating and we must opt for the greatest caution,” insisted the press officer, Nadia Talbot.
At Québec solidaire, it is indicated that as a preventive measure, all the indoor activities that were planned as part of the summer tour have been moved outside. “We also sent a message to our candidates asking them to exercise caution in their activities and to keep them outside,” said the press secretary, Sandrine Bourque.
Over the past two weeks, Quebec has recorded 34 deaths linked to COVID-19 in RPAs, 26 in CHSLDs and five in intermediate and family-type resources (RI-RTF). However, the vast majority of deaths among seniors, 106 of them, occurred at home.