Quebec Prime Legault announced today the ease of restrictive measures in elderly centers. Residents of elderly centers may go outside and may be visited under certain conditions. Restrictive measures remain in place for centers with people who have tested positive for the Covid-19 virus. Quebec issued regulations banning visits to senior centers since February 20, 2020
It has been seven weeks since the Quebec Legault government issued a ban on visits to curb the spread of the virus in CHSLDs. Senior residences remain heavily affected by the Covid-19 virus, where a shortage of employees have led to the recruitment of new employees through job placement centers. Yet, the shortage of labor and personal protective equipment in these centers persists. Nearly 12 500 people in the health sector have taken leave or are quarantined and have not returned to work. The government has had many ways to deal with it, such as calling for specialized doctors to replace the elderly caregivers, calling for volunteers and seeking help from the Canadian military.
However, the above measures still fail to bring good results; a significant number of seniors continue to die of thirst and hunger, not to mention the stress and psychological pain. Minister Responsible for Seniors and Informal Caregiver has admit a part of her responsibility today 5/5/2020, despite she denied ealier. She has held this position for the past seven years with QLP then CAQ in power.
Finally, the people now can visit their parents after nearly 2 months of restriction from the government. They found their elders suffered in a poor condition with illness and sickness if they are still alive.
If these following measures have been applied before the confinement such as the earlier tests for Covid-19 to all people coming in and out of senior residences , the usage of protective equipment, an analysis of the effect of the implications of restricting visits when centers are understaffed and shortage of protective gear, Quebec can save thousand lives of seniors.
For those elders who rely on us after giving their time and health contributed to Quebec society, these ineffective measures are very disappointing.
Whose responsibility?
The reopening of schools also creates many doubts and concerns from parents, teacher union organizations, English school associations, and school service unions. There has been increasing recognition from places about how Quebec is the most infectious and deadly province in the country. Montreal city and metropolis, where the number of infected people increase every day, is where the government calls for the reopening schools on May 19, 2020, while the opening of non-essential urban stores have been delayed again for one week.
The virus is still spreading and the number of deaths and infections increase daily. Will children returning from school infect their parents? What will happen when hospitals are full? How many people will die from this re-opening? The responsibility of those who bet on people’s lives?
This morning in the local newspaper, an article begins with this story:
A woman’s voice over the phone:
· Darling, I heard on the radio that there was a driver in the opposite direction. You should be careful
The husband’s answer on the phone:
· Not one person in the opposite direction, I see hundreds of drivers, Honey.
When there are so many cars running in the opposite direction, the decision makers should also understand that maybe they should know how to stop the car and do not make mistakes anymore.
Andy Linh Pham
Viet Press 5-5-2020
