Hospitalizations over 200 in Montreal
Covid hospitalizations have risen over 200 in Montreal; on Thursday 1464 new cases were reported in Quebec, the highest yet. And yet I’m hearing more and more about people being expected back at the office, as if everything is tickety-boo. It most certainly is not. People want to feel things have normalized, whereas if anything, they’re verging on a shitshow.
Tim S. 11:24 on 2020-11-27 Permalink
Every day I pass by a ground-floor open plan office with nice big windows onto the street. No attempt at social distancing, some people make a half-hearted effort to wear a mask but most don’t even try. They’re mostly young intern types, and I wonder which megalomaniac boss running the place has decided the situation doesn’t apply to their business.
DeWolf 13:15 on 2020-11-27 Permalink
I see the same thing, Tim. Lots of ground-floor offices where nobody wears masks. Between that and the schools, it’s a reminder of why we’re still seeing such high case counts two months into red zone. Also a reminder of how mystifyingly inconsistent the Quebec government’s approach to masks is. Apparently we should only be concerned about transmission between strangers but not colleagues and classmates?
Thank god the museums and restaurants are still closed! /s
dhomas 07:25 on 2020-11-28 Permalink
The government is failing tremendously in their communication plan. You can’t tell people “this virus is super dangerous and extremely contagious! You should avoid being in contact with anyone.” while also telling them that is ok to go to work and for kids to go to school. Most people will not take it seriously as the line is blurred between what is acceptable risk and what is not.
Here’s an anecdote from my personal experience. My upstairs tenant lived as a shut-in with his two kids at the beginning of the pandemic when they closed down the schools. His kids would never leave the house, and he would leave the house to get food in full gear with a mask and gloves (still not sure how I feel about him leaving his 8 and 6 year-old kids alone at home). When he would come pay the rent (still in cash, unfortunately), he would stay much further away and mention how scared he was of the virus. Yesterday, he threw a birthday party for his daughter. She even invited my daughter (we politely declined).
People are not scared anymore and are not being careful. And a lot of it has to do with inconsistent messaging.
MarcG 21:01 on 2020-11-28 Permalink
I needed to take a taxi last night for an emergency (in retrospect should have taken Communauto) and had to ask the driver to put his mask on, and there was no plastic divider. At least he didn’t say anything when we rolled the windows down.