Why Covid hit this city so hard
Why Covid has hit Montreal so hard is a question that’s not too hard to answer. That there’s poverty, that underpaid workers were shuffled from one care home to another, is clear. We have asylum seekers with no official status finding work, and getting sick doing so. The industrial style of management at long-term care homes may come under fire – or will the industry get back to “normal” once the peak is past (if indeed it is) and the general urge to sweep that whole world under the carpet returns?
Meezly 13:35 on 2020-05-19 Permalink
I was just reading about how successful BC was in having one of the lowest death rates in North America. BC had one its first known Covid-19 cases back in January, and their long-term care centres were hit while QC as in its March break. They seem to be an example of effective gov’t planning.
From the Bloomberg article: “British Columbia commandeered nursing homes at the first sign of infection, barring visitors. Employees were forbidden from working at more than one facility, a move other Ontario and Quebec didn’t make until later in the crisis.”
thomas 18:43 on 2020-05-19 Permalink
Maybe Montreal is also hit harder because mask usage is so low. Walking along the canal or in the village, I notice maybe 5% of people wearing masks. Whereas when I speak with people in cities across North America, they report that ~80% of people are wearing masks. A number I find very surprising in contrast to what I observe.
Tim 20:13 on 2020-05-19 Permalink
The National Post last week reported that “There are three times more seniors in long-term care homes in Quebec, per capita, “than anywhere else in the world,” Legault said.” (https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/the-society-failed-says-legault-as-montreal-crisis-makes-quebec-worlds-seventh-deadliest-covid-19-epicentre)
Why is this? I have not been able to find any reason for this.