When Cerasela Tofan jumped on the subway this afternoon, she put on a blue face coat, although it was no longer required.
As of Saturday, Quebec public transport users are no longer required to wear masks. But some Montreal residents, such as Tofan, have said they will disguise themselves for the foreseeable future.
“I think it’s too early to put the mask on the subway and the bus,” Tofan said. “We see that COVID is not over yet.”
The province imposed a mandate for masks for indoor public spaces and public transport in July 2020 in an attempt to slow the spread of COVID-19.
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Cerasela Tofan says it is too early to repeal the camouflage measure on public transport because “COVID is not over yet”. (Rowan Kennedy / CBC News)
In mid-May, Quebec became the last province to remove the requirement to cover the face for indoor public spaces, and in the future, authorities say wearing a mask will be a personal choice.
This makes it so easy for Jim Cooper’s decision not to wear a mask on public transportation.
“The beauty of the system is that people who are unsure or have health problems can keep their mask and that will not be a problem,” he said, adding that he felt safe using public transport without a mask, thanks to three doses of COVID-19 vaccine.
“If you can’t survive, you don’t deserve to be alive”
Masks are still mandatory in hospitals, long-term care homes and other health facilities where vulnerable people are more likely to be potentially exposed to COVID-19. Mental health facilities are not included.
But Aaron Ansuini says vulnerable people like him are everywhere, and giving up one of the last remaining health measures is like telling them they don’t matter.
“This idea of surviving the strongest is quite troubling because it suggests that if you can’t survive, you don’t deserve to be alive, and that’s somewhat reinforced by the conditions we have right now,” said the young man with Ehlers Syndrome. -Danlos, a multisystem connective tissue disease that often affects its mobility.
Aaron Ansuini says he feels that those most vulnerable have been forgotten during the pandemic. (Submitted by Aaron Answini)
As an outpatient wheelchair user, several subway stations were accessible to Ansuini even before the pandemic. But now he says that even if he stays away from public transport, the threat of exposure to the virus follows him wherever he goes.
“Even if I’m not often in the subway or in the subway, the ones I contact often are,” he said. “So that means that every situation I go into is at greater risk because of those who are [potentially] has been revealed. ”
The Quebec government announced a plan to remove masks on public transport 10 days ago, a decision that was backed by provincial public health officials.
In a statement on June 8th, Health Minister Christian Dubet said the repeal of the measure “is an important step, confirming the significant improvement in the epidemiological situation in recent weeks”.
Although wearing a mask is no longer mandatory, it is still recommended for vulnerable people and the elderly. Those who wish to continue to disguise themselves to protect themselves and others are encouraged to do so.
But one-way camouflage doesn’t offer as much protection in crowded spaces, Ansuini said.
The province lifted its state of emergency in early June. It was in force from March 13, 2020, but Quebec retained the power to renew the mandates for masks until 2023.
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