Medical opinion: Montreal needs a lockdown

Doctors are calling on the Quebec government to impose a lockdown in Montreal. Several cities in the province — Quebec City, Levy and Gatineau — have already implemented severe restrictions. The COVID-STOP team, which consists of epidemiologists and infectious disease microbiologists, believes the same measures should be applied to Montreal. They include the closure of all secondary establishments, schools and the imposition of a curfew.

Dr. Amir Khadir, an infectious disease specialist and microbiologist at the Pierre-Le-Gardeur Hospital Center, says it's time to stop hoping for a miracle and expect the situation in Montreal to remain under control.

"I think it would be wise not to wait for the next wave of COVID to hit us, but to take action. Right now we are just postponing the inevitable," he said.

But restrictions are only part of the necessary measures. Dr. Marie-Michelle Bellon, an internal medicine specialist at Notre Dame Hospital and member of COVID-STOP, advocates for disease prevention, as new strains are spreading very quickly across the country. In particular, the COVID-STOP team calls for an effective air purification system in schools.

Another argument for lockdown is the vulnerability of the health care system.

"With every wave, we have a weakening of the health care system because we lose nurses, we lose caregivers, we lose doctors — whether it's through layoffs, early retirement, vacations or being infected themselves," said Dr. Vincent Bouchard-Deschamps, who works in the intensive care unit at Notre Dame Hospital.

Quebec authorities have already responded to the collective's allegations. Robert Maranda, a spokesman for the Ministry of Health and Social Services' Department of Communications, promised that Quebec would take note of the requests. He said public health experts are closely monitoring the situation in each region of Quebec and will recommend stricter measures to the government as soon as the epidemiological situation warrants.