Quebec’s director of public health says he did not recommend that the government close restaurants and museums amid the novel coronavirus crisis.
This is what Dr. Horacio Arruda told Parti Québécois parliamentary leader Pascal Bérubé during a legislative committee meeting that lasted three hours on Wednesday.
Bérubé concluded that the Legault government had made this decision “on its own.”
Arruda was unable to answer several questions from Quebec Liberal Party leader Dominique Anglade. Arruda promised to verify and provide a response to the committee at a later date.
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Anglade wanted to know if Arruda had asked the government to replenish its health equipment stockpile in anticipation of the health crisis.
The government waited until Feb. 27 to place tenders to stock up on protective equipment, such as gloves and masks. Arruda replied that it was not his direct responsibility and that he did not know if civil security had issued a recommendation.
On the restricted use of rapid tests in Quebec, Arruda defended himself by saying that, in his opinion, rapid tests generate a lot of “false negatives” and “false positives.”
At the opening of his appearance before elected officials, he also defended having proceeded “in stages” before imposing masks on Quebecers, who he says had to learn to “integrate” it into their behaviour.
