(Québec) Québec solidaire (QS) is asking Premier François Legault to make low-cost N95 masks available to Quebecers to ensure better protection against COVID-19.
Posted at 7:08
The leader of the second opposition group, Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois, points out that during his press conference on Thursday, the Prime Minister affirmed that Quebec was at the height of the crisis. It is therefore time, according to the supportive MP, to move to a higher level regarding protective equipment.
He recalls that in Quebec and elsewhere, experts agree that the N95 respirator offers superior protection.
Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois proposes to the government to first make N95 masks accessible to all state employees in contact with the public, including workers in health, social services, schools and childcare centers (CPE). Subsequently, these masks should be available in all pharmacies in Quebec, at low prices, so that the rest of the population can obtain them quickly.
He recalls that a Montreal company, Medicom, has just announced new hires to increase its production of N95 masks.
Moreover, on Friday morning, Medicom specified that more than 40 new positions will be created at the factory in the borough of Saint-Laurent and that new machines will be installed to support the new rate of production of N95 masks.
Guillaume Laverdure, chief operating officer of Medicom, says that the company can now supply nearly 3.3 million N95 respirators to the Quebec health network and that in a few weeks, when the new machines are running at full capacity. , more than 4.4 million N95 respirators per month can be donated to the Quebec government.
Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois reports that a few days ago, the United States government announced its intention to distribute free N95 masks to the entire population and that almost a month ago, Manitoba announced a similar intention. He adds that the Ontario government has sent more than 9 million N95 masks to its schools.
And of the prime minister’s Thursday press conference, Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois added that nothing had been announced to add staff, protect caregivers and teachers or increase coronavirus testing capacity.