Emergency holds till end of September
Montreal has extended its state of emergency till the end of September and Canada has kept its international borders closed for the same period of time. Everyone’s waiting to see how the September rentrée intersects with the pandemic.
Kevin 16:38 on 2020-08-28 Permalink
I think it’s obvious now: the area with one of the highest covid death rates on the planet (we beat Sweden!) has decided there is enough room in the ICU, so everybody back to work in the office.
Kate 19:20 on 2020-08-28 Permalink
Have they said that yet about office work, Kevin? I haven’t seen it.
Dhomas 19:38 on 2020-08-28 Permalink
The reason the CAQ is so adamant that schools and daycares must remain open is so that workers can go back to the office (or home office). They need babysitters. This is the intersection between the rentrée and work.
Kevin 20:51 on 2020-08-28 Permalink
Not in so many words yet Kate, but with the new 10-day isolation order, and the other loosenings, I’m letting my cynicism gallop.
Chris 21:00 on 2020-08-28 Permalink
>They need babysitters
It’s not like the CAQ is alone in that opinion. Most of the *parents* I know share this view
Mr.Chinaski 23:06 on 2020-08-28 Permalink
Kevin, the law is 25% maximum. Most offices are WFH until 2021.
Mr.Chinaski 23:07 on 2020-08-28 Permalink
Oh and a lot more laws that make office impossible for most downtown offices : 2 people maximum per elevator. This make anything over 5 story impossible to work in.
Kevin 04:11 on 2020-08-29 Permalink
Mr. Chinaski
I’m projecting. Many companies have far fewer than 25% in the building but I won’t be surprised to hear the government lifting that cap, and getting rid of the elevator restrictions.
I also don’t expect many companies will *listen* to the government when this happens.
Tim S. 08:31 on 2020-08-29 Permalink
“They need babysitters”: So here’s a poll showing that 69% of parents (Canada-wide) want schools closed if there’s an outbreak:
https://www.ctvnews.ca/health/coronavirus/many-parents-nervous-about-return-of-school-plan-to-send-kids-anyway-survey-1.5068565.
Of course it’s better that the kids be in school, but I’ve definitely got the feeling that it’s the government pushing this line, not the parents.
Chris 10:28 on 2020-08-29 Permalink
Tim, your link in fact says 69% of *poll respondents* not 69% of *parents*. It goes on to say it was an online poll of only 1510 Canadians, with only 385 of them being “parents with school-aged children in their households”. Further, it cautions “An internet poll cannot be given a margin of error because it is not a random sample.”
Tim S. 17:36 on 2020-08-29 Permalink
Fair enough Chris. What’s the source for your statement?
Michael Black 18:05 on 2020-08-29 Permalink
Up till now, it seems like the emergency has been extended by a week, or maybe a few days. I wonder why now it’s extended by a vague amiunt sometime into September?
EmilyG 18:47 on 2020-08-29 Permalink
It almost seems these days that extending the state of emergency is just a formality.
Kate 11:12 on 2020-08-30 Permalink
EmilyG: it’s more than that, in that it gives the city legal powers to enforce pandemic measures.
Michael Black: I don’t know. Till now it’s been done in blocks of 5 days each, not sure why.
MarcG 11:49 on 2020-08-30 Permalink
I assume it’s because the rentrée is expected to cause a new wave of cases.