Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has expressed concern about Quebec's deconfinement plan to open up schools and businesses, especially in Montreal.
"Of course I'm worried—as a Quebecer, as an MP—about the situation going on in my riding, in the province, as I am concerned about Canadians coast to coast to coast as prime minister," Trudeau told reporters outside his home in Ottawa Saturday morning.
Quebec has become the first province to make large-scale efforts to reopen schools and businesses everywhere outside of Montreal, despite having nearly twice as many confirmed cases of COVID-19 than any other province and nearly 60 percent of the nation's total deaths.
Montreal was set to reopen its schools, daycares, and businesses on May 11, but Quebec Premier Francois Legault was forced to push back the date to May 25 after heavy criticism.
There are close to 19,000—cases of COVID-19 and nearly 1,800 deaths in Montreal at the time of this writing, which is by far the hardest-hit region in Canada and the epicenter of the outbreak in the country. The city's long-term care facilities and several other areas have continued to see sustained transmission within the community.
According to a recent report by the Institut national de sante publique du Quebec (INSPQ) in collaboration with experts from Laval University, the Greater Montreal Area could see an average of 150 deaths daily by the end of June if the schools and businesses were to open as usual right now.
The INSPQ also projected around 1,000 new cases of the virus each day and a rapid increase in hospitalizations should restrictions be lifted on a large scale.
Trudeau said he understood the economic pressures provinces face in efforts to get the economy up and running.
"I understand how much people do want to go outside, but we need to do it in ways that we are sure are going to keep people safe because the last thing people want is a few weeks from now being told ‘OK we loosened the rules and now COVID is spreading again and you’re all going to have to go inside for the rest of the summer," he said.
Indigenous Services Minister Marc Miller responded on Saturday regarding his thoughts on the timeline for Quebec's reopening. Miller said the vast majority of those who are dying are seniors in long-term care facilities, and this will only continue if public health measures are relaxed too soon.
“That is the scientific conclusion,” Miller said. “We need to let the virus run its course.”
Miller urged Canadians to be more patient a little while longer and to continue following social distancing guidelines because "we're not out of the woods."
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