Several thousand bar owners, DJs and nightlife enthusiasts demonstrated in Montreal on Saturday afternoon to demand the opening of dance floors in the metropolis. It would be “playing with fire” to allow such a relaxation, however, say experts.
To the sound of electronic music, the demonstrators gathered at the foot of the Sir George-Étienne Cartier monument, before marching through the streets of the metropolis. Several were dressed in costumes and sequins, and held up signs that read “Open dance floors”.
The Coalition for Social Dance, at the origin of the rally, urges Quebec to allow nightclubs to once again welcome revelers who dance until the wee hours of the morning.
Andrew Pololos, DJ and owner of the Espace club, deplores that the dance floors are accessible in Toronto and not in Montreal. “It is time for the government to relax the measures,” he says.
PHOTO PASCAL RATTHÉ, SPECIAL COLLABORATION
Vito V, host and DJ, agrees. “The tourism industry, the clubs and the DJs, we really had a steal. Looks like the government is making adjustments for everyone except the rest of us, ”he said, noting that his industry has followed health rules throughout the pandemic.
“Montreal is famous for being a city where there are a lot of parties, [sa] vie de Nuit. There is not much to do, ”says Sarah Langot, behind her black sunglasses. “With winter coming, we need human warmth, we need to dance among ourselves, we need to live,” she adds.
“For some people, going out at night is almost an escape from their personal life. You need to exteriorize something, often it is through dance, through music, ”says Yannick, a protester who wished to keep his last name silent.
Zach Macklovitch is one of the owners of the Private School club and the Appartement 200 bar. He believes that his bars should be able to accommodate customers normally since the introduction of the vaccination passport.
The owner of the Soubois restaurant-club, Ali Ma, considers that the regulations in place are difficult to apply to his customers. “We tell the world to drink, but not to dance, there is no logic in the rules. The Bell Center can be opened to capacity with the dancing world, and we have to be seated, ”he recalls.
According to information obtained by Press, nightclubs and bars may be eligible for the targeted extension of the federal government’s business support program, announced Thursday.
Read the article “Ottawa injects 7.4 billion for more targeted measures”
“Organizations in the tourism and hospitality sector, including bars, could qualify for the Revival program for tourism and hospitality if they meet the eligibility criteria. The eligibility criteria for this program would be largely similar to those of the existing wage subsidy and rent subsidy programs, ”Finance Ministry spokesperson Kevin Maillet said by email.
A strong police presence was felt during the demonstration. However, no overflow was recorded by the Service de police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM).
“Playing with fire”, for experts
For André Veillette, professor of medicine and director of the Molecular Oncology Research Unit at the Montreal Clinical Research Institute, reopening the dance floors would be “playing with fire”, at a time when Quebec brings in from 400 to 500 cases of COVID-19 per day.
In nightclubs “people are close to each other, the music is loud, they have to shout, so there are a lot of aerosols. It’s still an important physical exercise, so there are a lot of breaths per minute, ”explains Mr. Veillette. He also doubts that the distance of one meter is respected in these places, while people drink alcohol there.
The professor adds that it is possible to catch COVID-19 and transmit it even if a person is properly vaccinated. The effectiveness of the vaccine decreases over time, and a third dose will probably be necessary for “a good part of the population,” says Veillette.
Medical consultant at the Public Health Department and at the National Institute of Public Health of Quebec (INSPQ), DD Maryse Guay also believes that opening the dance floors would be “reckless”. The more contagious Delta variant constitutes the majority of cases in the province.
“There are still outbreaks in schools,” she said, recalling that the Halloween party could also be conducive to the spread of the virus.
The health system “is still fragile. People are tired, health professionals are tired, ”she adds. “I think we really have to be very careful,” concludes M.me Guay.
With Léa Carrier, Press