Has the Quebec Government made the right decisions regarding COVID-19?
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The COVID-19 lockdown restrictions have been causing outrage within the Quebec community, most recently due to the curfew, which has been in effect for over a month. Premier Francois Legault recently announced that the start of this curfew will be pushed to 9:30 pm as opposed to 8:00 pm in hopes of lifting the spirits of Quebecers. This hasn’t been the case, however, as many people have compared his curfew to a dictatorship and called for it to be completely lifted.
The curfew was originally planned for four weeks to lower the spread of the virus while cases were reaching an all-time high. Although the previous measures had been strict up to that point, a curfew seemed excessive. It proved effective, however, as the number of daily cases in Quebec reduced from about 3,000 a day to about 700 a day. Unfortunately, Premier Legault failed to keep his four-week promise when he refused to lift the curfew, despite the drastic reduction in daily cases. This left many residents feeling like a basic right had been stripped from them. For people who work or students who are at school, the evenings are some of the only times where they can go meet a friend outdoors, or take a walk around the neighborhood, however due to the curfew, this is impossible. A measure this drastic can be acceptable when cases are at an all-time high, but at under 1,000, it doesn’t make sense, especially considering all the other rules put in place.
Unfortunately, the curfew isn’t the only controversy that the Government has created. Various other measures put in place have shown inconsistencies. Most notably the fact that having guests over at your house is prohibited. This makes sense, as germs can be spread from household to household. What doesn’t make sense is the fact that high schools remained open throughout the entire second wave, as well as the recent re-opening of cinemas, both of which attract must larger crowds than simply inviting a friend over.
These issues are clearly the result of trying to please everybody. Unfortunately, the Government is in a lose-lose situation. Some people want everything opened, while others want everything closed. Trying to please everybody by having these “half lockdowns” have only created inconsistencies. It is clear that the Premier’s intentions are in the right place, however, some of the decision-making has been questionable, causing lots of people to lose their patience. The lockdown measures must be clearer, and the curfew has to be lifted if Mr. Legault wants to restore the faith of Quebec residents.
What are your thoughts on Quebec’s COVID response?
