Ottawa Centre MPP suggests Quebec residents entering Ottawa should quarantine
Posted Dec 23, 2020 11:49:00 AM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
To ensure Quebec residents don't cross the inter-provincial border for shopping or leisure, the Ontario NDP have proposed to the Ford Government that Quebec residents be required to self-isolate when they cross the border.
This would not apply to essential workers, who would be exempt.
“If you're worried Premier, about the great work that we've done here in Ottawa to flatten the curve being compromised,” said New Democratic MPP Joel Harden, in an interview with City News, ” let's propose, with our friend Premier (Francois) Legault a mandatory quarantine for people coming in.”
This would be for 14 days, and would be similar to the rules in place when entering from other countries.
“If there is a legitimate fear about us coexisting just across the river with a red zone in Quebec, lets see if the Premier and his government respond to this.” explained the representative for Ottawa Centre.
How this would be enforced is unclear, with Harden noting that it would likely fall to an honour system, but it comes after Doug Ford explained that his reasoning for locking down Ottawa for 28 days came in part because Quebec is shutting down as well, so there was an elevated risk that people would flood over the borders during the holidays.
Ontario Health Minister Christine Elliott addressed the concerns that closing the inter-provincial crossings, similar to what was done in the spring, would be a more viable solution.
“We're not prepared to do that, we think that it's important for people to not be stopped, ” said Elliott on The Rob Snow Show, adding that the Ford Government doesn't want “to have that kind of state in Ontario.”
The 28-day lockdown is set to go into effect December 26.
