Three reasons why COVID-19 hit Quebec so hard

Amid criticism for reopening businesses, elementary schools and daycares in the rest of the province — and planning to follow suit by reopening Montreal on May 25 — Premier François Legault listed three reasons why COVID-19 numbers in Quebec are so high.

“In Quebec, Spring Break took place at the worst moment,” Legault noted in his daily briefing on Monday. “A lot of Quebecers were travelling (in early March), and when they came back they transferred the virus.

“The second reason is that in Quebec we count every death (of a person) associated with (someone who had) the virus. For example, when someone dies in a CHSLD, if they’re linked to someone who had COVID-19, that person is put in the calculations. That’s not the case everywhere else in the world.

“The third reason is there are a lot more elderly people in long-term care centres, many more than elsewhere in the world. A lot of our parents and grandparents end up in CHSLDs, and we’re going to have to review that.

“Beyond that, we have a mea culpa to present, all governments. I don’t want to blame others — I’m taking my share of responsibility. We were badly prepared in our CHSLDs. The staff in these long-term care centres were underpaid. In private CHSLDs, it was $13 an hour and in public ones, $21 an hour —these are not very high wages. The result is that a lot of the staff is part time, going from one CHSLD to another.”

As it stands, the plan to reopen Montreal retail, manufacturing and construction businesses as well as elementary schools and daycares on May 25 is dependent on the progress in rates of daily infections and tests and the number of full-time hospital staff. The reopening dates have already been postponed twice, and the provincial government has reiterated repeatedly that they won’t hesitate to do so again if the situation remains “out of control.” ■

For the latest COVID-19 / Coronavirus info and statistics for Montreal and Quebec, please visit the Santé Quebéc website.

For official info from the Government of Canada on COVID-19 / Coronavirus, including their latest map of cases in Montreal, Quebec and Canada, please also click here.

Additionally, please visit our News section for more updates on COVID-19 / Coronavirus.

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