Reports say that Quebec premier Francois Legault’s government ignored advice from a prominent public health official recommending against bringing back the province’s curfew ahead of New Year’s celebrations.
Radio Canada and LaPresse are reporting that Montreal’s public health director Dr. Mylène Drouin told the Quebec government that she opposed a second curfew.
According to the reports, Drouin advised there were other measures more effective at reducing viral transmission while avoiding the collateral impacts of curfews that disproportionately affect vulnerable people.
Drouin’s opposition clearly went unheard, as Legault reinstated the harsh police-enforced curfew on Dec. 31, 2021.
To this day, Quebec remains the only jurisdiction in North America and one of only a few in the world to have responded to COVID by limiting the hours people could be outside their homes. These curfews came despite many other nations around the world having higher rates of infection.
Drouin is not the only health expert who opposed the return of Quebec’s curfew. A group of 13 university health specialists also co-signed a letter to the government denouncing the measure’s reintroduction and questioning its effectiveness.
Conservative Party of Quebec leader Eric Duhaime reacted to the news of Drouin’s snubbed advice in a Twitter thread. He said that “the wind is turning” when it comes to Quebec’s COVID-19 narrative.
Duhaime said it is clear that the government is misleading Quebecers. “We knew that it lied when it said that the closing of restaurants and bars was a recommendation of Public Health. We learned yesterday that Montreal Public Health never recommended a curfew.”
It should be noted that there was a time when Legault himself claimed he opposed the controversial measures.
A resurfaced clip from Mar. 16 2020 shows the Quebec premier dismissing the idea of a curfew, adding that he didn’t think it was important whether people came home at 7pm or at 10pm.
The latest curfew was extremely unpopular among Quebecers, who had previously been subject to an even harsher curfew last year. The first one lasted from Jan. 9 to May 28.
Legault eventually announced on Jan. 13 that the latest curfew would end earlier than planned. The announcement came on the same day as a new poll showing a drop in support for Legault’s party.
The Quebec general election is scheduled to take place in Oct. 2022.
