Montreal City Weblog

Kate 17:36 on 2020-09-28 Permalink Reply  

• MarcG 17:52 on 2020-09-28 Permalink

  News link?

• Kate 18:09 on 2020-09-28 Permalink

  Sure. I was just transcribing from the online video link. It’ll be on all the media:

  Radio-Canada – La Presse – CTV…

• Ant6n 18:15 on 2020-09-28 Permalink

  I very much would have liked to visit. Missing Montreal.

• DeWolf 18:34 on 2020-09-28 Permalink

  Here’s the official list of what’s open and closed:

  https://www.quebec.ca/sante/problemes-de-sante/a-z/coronavirus-2019/systeme-alertes-regionales-et-intervention-graduelle/palier-4-alerte-maximale-zone-rouge/

• Douglas 19:08 on 2020-09-28 Permalink

  I feel so bad for the small business owners, restaurants and bars that are going bankrupt left and right. And then Quebec gives another death sentence on them

  1000s of livelihoods are being destroyed.

• Kate 19:18 on 2020-09-28 Permalink

  DeWolf, thanks for the link – very useful.

  Douglas, it’s not being done lightly. Call out for a lot of delivery. You might be surprised who’s offering delivery via DoorDash, Skip the Dishes or other delivery services. The Gazette had a recent list of fancier places now doing takeout. I got an email from this place offering haute cuisine to go. If it matters to you, bring them your business.

• walkerp 19:43 on 2020-09-28 Permalink

  So Douglas, what would you do if you were in charge of public policy in Quebec right now?

• Douglas 20:09 on 2020-09-28 Permalink

  I wouldn’t panic.

  That’s a start. Ban private gatherings in homes for 2 weeks. Observe the data. After gathering the data, make new decisions.

• MarcG 20:49 on 2020-09-28 Permalink

  It’s not obvious to me if I could have a friend come over and hang out in the backyard – does that count as “à domicile”? If so, would meeting him in the park be considered an “activity organized in a public place”?

• walkerp 20:58 on 2020-09-28 Permalink

  Yes, same question here. Are children from different families allowed to play with each other at the park?

• Ephraim 21:28 on 2020-09-28 Permalink

  @Douglas – So what you are saying is that you prefer the American method of where they simply sacrifice lives to the DJIA?

• JP 21:35 on 2020-09-28 Permalink

  @MarcG: Honestly, if they’re using common sense, a socially distanced backyard visit with one or two other people doesn’t seem harmful, based on the current science. However, I think they’re probably going to intentionally avoid specifying…the backyard is next to the patio, and the patio is right by the kitchen, so before you know it, some people will allow people to come into their homes. Also, I’m sure by now we’ve all seen or heard backyard/alley hangouts go “out of control” and I don’t think people can handle being told how many people is safe per square footage. Too much math…

  My family has pretty much been abiding by no visitors allowed inside all summer, except the backyard. I’m hoping we have a nice mild autumn, so I can still see one or two people  outside every now and then.

  @Walkerp: Here’s the thing, and I’m just thinking out loud (not questioning you specifically), if schools are staying open, then does it make a difference if they play with other kids in the park? Nevertheless, wouldn’t it be safer, if they avoided playing with other kids? I’m not judging, I don’t have kids, but if I had kids, I think I’d tell them they have to get used to playing only with their sibling(s), if they had them. But again, I’m not in the situation. I feel like if the question was asked, they’d probably say no…

• DeWolf 21:36 on 2020-09-28 Permalink

  CAQ logic: it’s fine to go buy some books at Renaud-Bray, but you’re putting your life at risk by borrowing a book from the library.

• JP 21:38 on 2020-09-28 Permalink

  @DeWolf: Yes! I had put a bunch of books on reserve. I was really hoping to be able to read them. I don’t even think I have the budget to buy all those books, and I hate e-reading.

• GC 08:52 on 2020-09-29 Permalink

  Yes, De Wolf, I’m also side-eyeing that one. How is a library more dangerous than a book store? It can only assume they are keeping the book store open for business reasons, but then just make an exception for the libraries, too. Not everyone can afford to buy all the books they read.

• steph 09:54 on 2020-09-29 Permalink

  So stores stay open, but no one is supposed to go shopping – genius.

• Douglas 10:09 on 2020-09-29 Permalink

  @Ephraim.

  Canada is running at less than 10 deaths a day after being opened for about 4 months so your point is moot.

  Before trying to bankrupt an entire industry I would act with less panic and hysteria.

• Kate 11:41 on 2020-09-29 Permalink

  Douglas, do you understand anything about math? I suggest you read the Wikipedia article on mathematical modelling of infectious disease before you talk about panic or hysteria again. Do not rely on your own intuitions: you are not an expert in these areas, but the government is relying on people who are.

• Ephraim 13:00 on 2020-09-29 Permalink

  @Douglas – Unlike the USA, we have a limited number of beds, a limited number of doctors, a limited amount of ICU beds and we don’t believe in sacrificing people from the TSE. As for infections, maybe you need more help with regression mathematics and statistics.

  Also, the effectiveness of this sacrificing people to the DJIA isn’t a very proven theory, it’s a trial balloon. What we know about the “Spanish Flu” (AKA the American flu, since that was the real origin) is that afterward, because of all the deaths, there was an increase in wages because of the loss of employees. In a country so in need of unskilled cheap labour for their engine of growth, it’s going to be interesting to see (since we really don’t know) what the long term effect of these deaths and of course the need for unskilled labour over time. It’s entirely different from Canada, where we have a severe deficit in unskilled labour and people are paid a much higher salary to start, which includes healthcare. Remember, the lack of universal healthcare in the US and “pre-conditions” is a way that they keep people in jobs rather than have a truly fair and open labour market. (Many countries have experienced this lack of unskilled labour and often look at either immigration or foreign workers as a way of filling the void.)

  (When I was younger, I wondered if my university courses in statistics, international relations, politics and history would ever really have a meeting point… the last few months have taught me that they finally do.)

• Uatu 13:49 on 2020-09-29 Permalink

  Nice graphic Kate! I can hear the Enterprise alarm in my head!

• Douglas 17:07 on 2020-09-29 Permalink

  270 000 people die in Canada every single year.

  Right now only 5-10 people are dying every day to Covid. Even if the death rates were a few times higher it would be perfectly fine statistically compared to how many Canadians die each year.

  This is the equivalent of your mom sending you to your room for 28 days because you got a scratch at the park.

• Mark Côté 17:53 on 2020-09-29 Permalink

  Probably a waste of time to debate this further… but check out Quebec’s excess mortality this year and say that covid isn’t a big deal. No, the numbers aren’t that bad now, but it’s quite a gamble to presume they can’t go up significantly again. And that’s not even mentioning the potential long-term effects both of the virus and of the people who aren’t getting medical attention this year for other conditions because of overcrowding.

  And maybe those hundreds of nurses who quit due to the pressure on our healthcare system are just exaggerating I guess.

• MarcG 17:54 on 2020-09-29 Permalink

  If it was known that the scratch at the park would cause others to get scratches that might cause others to get scratches and in process some of those scratches kill people…