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Roxane Paradis stood in line outside the old Hôtel Dieu Hospital for an hour Sunday as the weather shifted back and forth from sweltering heat to downpour.
She went to a pub last week and — after reports of COVID-19 outbreaks in several Montreal-area bars since they reopened earlier this month — Paradis wanted to err on the side of caution.
“I mean, my table was still wet from disinfectant and there were wooden dividers between booths, but I work with the public so I want to be safe,” said Paradis, a grocery store cashier. “I don’t have any symptoms, but I want to be sure I don’t have coronavirus and pass it on to someone vulnerable.”
She was also following the advice of Montreal’s public health officials, who recently called on anyone who’s been to a bar since July 1 to get tested for COVID-19.
“There are at least five bars in Montreal which have reported cases of COVID-19 among patrons or staff, and we’ve identified eight people who have been infected,” said Dr. David Kaiser said, an official with the city’s public health department.
“We know there are probably more cases out and we want to get out in front of this before we find ourselves dealing with a second wave.”
Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante reiterated Dr. Kaiser’s advice Saturday, tweeting that everyone who’s been to a bar since July 1 should get tested.
