As of September 16, 2020, the Province of Quebec has 65,857 confirmed cases of the novel corona virus commonly referred to as COVID-19, of which 2,141 are considered “active” cases – a sharp increase from just three weeks ago.
Part of that increase, if media reports are to be believed, are directly attributable to Quebec City’s Bar Kirouac, a popular karaoke bar.
“We’re pretty sure that three positive cases, namely children, got the virus from somebody who was celebrating something at this bar,” said Dr. Jacques Girard, head of the Quebec City public health authority.
Giarard’s team says they have traced 10 secondary cases of COVID-19 back to Bar Kirouac. Forty people were linked to a karaoke night at Bar Kirouac on August 23rd, and it’s believed some of these patrons refused to remain in self-isolation until test results came back.
According to a CBC news report, after these patrons were infected at Bar Kirouac, at least two of them went to another karaoke bar – La Gamelle – despite knowing they could test positive for the virus.
“I find it a little dishonest of them,” said Geneviève Tremblay, La Gamelle’s co-owner. “They should have stayed at home as required by the government.”
On September 2, 2020, Dr. Jacques Girard, whose powers are vastly increased during any public health emergency, issued public health orders to force two “uncooperative” individuals into quarantine at an undisclosed location.
Reporter: Where exactly are they isolated?
Dr. Jacques Girard: It is not at home. It depends on the person because we have had people isolated at home and then we saw the person was not at home. So, we went to their home and then told them, ‘we are isolating you where we want you to be’.
It’s eerily reminiscent of Dr. Theresa Tam’s statements in the 2010 National Film Board production Outbreak.
“If there are people who are non-compliant, there are definitely laws and public health powers that can quarantine people in mandatory settings. Potentially you could track people, put bracelets on their arms, have police and other setups to ensure quarantine is undertaken.”
A challenging aspect to this forced quarantine is that no government official is claiming either of these two individuals have contracted the corona virus – but they’re using the coercive power of the state to force these mere citizens into isolation anyway.
Where Do We Draw The Line?
Is there a line between individual liberty and public safety, aka the collective good?
Should there be a line between the two?
I maintain my right to do as I please ends at your right not to be impacted by my actions. It’s basic libertarian philosophy at its core, and it’s also where the government gets its right to quarantine people against their will.
Chairman Mao said all political power flows from the barrel of a government gun.
He’s right. And as much as I despise the notion of government agents removing mere citizens from their homes under threat of being shot, (because ultimately physical coercion is the only power any government agent has) I think the answer is yes.
There are times when the government must act in the best interests of society, even when that means violating the rights of an individual.
We send HIV-positive men to prison after they refused to inform their sexual partners prior to intercourse, so why not temporarily lock down people who refuse to use the common sense God gave a gnat during COVID?
Do I agree with all the lockdown measures implemented by governments at all levels?
No, not by a long shot, but I’m also not personally affected by them much, either.
I’m an introvert by nature and a writer by trade.
I didn’t like leaving the house before the pandemic hit, so being told I shouldn’t leave my house now is a pretty meaningless statement.
I had little intention of leaving anyway.
Christopher,
One big question…who gets to decide what constitutes a public health threat??
COVID-19 has allegedly kill over 9000 Canadians out of a population of 37 million that does not even make a statistical impression. Isolation or quarantine is a responsible tactic when the disease warrants such measures – say Ebola. COVID-19 has failed to be as lethal as the powers that be have proclaimed.
This current campaign is a campaign of FEAR not disease. Every spike coincides with a point when the general public has had enough totalitarian oppression and is about to resist or disobey the powers that be. Then, as if magic, there is another “spike” in cases and then the mass media (the obedient lap dogs they have become in the propaganda machine) starts to flood every know media channel with rising COVID-19 cases and the need to self-isolate, the need to wear a mask, the need to suppress the economy.
We are ALL being duped by the most ruthless, power hungry regime in the history of the world.
I am in full support of locking people up who don’t follow mandatory quarantine and other health protocols.. I’ve called for this right from mid-March. They should be heavily fined, too. I’m also in full support of travel restrictions within Canada, as the Maritimes did, until we have no active COVID-19 cases. I think our governments at all levels have failed us terribly, right from Day One. All should be voted out of power and a new bunch put in. Health officials in all provinces also should be fired. I applaud the Newfoundland ruling that the province has the power to restrict travel until the pandemic is squished. Short term pain for long term gain. At the rate we are going now with numbers spiking right across the country we will never be rid of this scourge unless we lock down again for several months. B.C. was down to 158 active cases a few weeks ago and now we are up around 1,500 cases again, and climbing. Wake up, people!!
Hi Christopher, Rob here. Did you get any info on David Kidd?
As far as Quebec lockdown goes I believe It only a matter of time before we all feel it. With a 99% recovery rate in this scamdemic, so it seems we have way bigger fish to fry where this is going.
Good chatting with you and carry on with enlightenment.
Rob Hunter
BC recently updated it’s public health act regarding the Virus [ sections 30, 31 32 33, and subsections of 39] though i think it does not go far enough to limit gatherings seen in the neighborhoods and should include so called religious back yard gatherings and shutdown swinger’s and sex-related online date sites.
Some people we have seen on Vancouver island and other parts of BC are seeing are travellers camping out and living in our backcountry areas , coming from Ontario and Alberta that are having a resurgence of the Virus.
Yesterday i saw a large 4×4 Machine from Europe with european plates roaming our backcountry. Someone with cash to ship a large vehicle over here and do whatever.
This virus microbiologically speaking is a complicated one based on RNA and has features most viruses do not have, and must be respected.
If it decides to mutate [ it has the ability to proof read it’s replication process and has several genome functions on it unusually long baseline that scientists yet do not understand] we could be in for a far worsening situation.
Revisiting lockdowns, quaratines , limiting numbers of gatherings , no tourism this fall and winter, isolating large and small communities and islands may be the most prudent action to consider..
Hello Christopher, I would like to add this addendum to earlier post…
Yesterday I heard on BBC that N.E. England may be increasing restrictions very soon that will directly affect close to 2 million people..
I looked up this link afterwards …https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-tyne-54166256… that has more details
The global situation is still serious.
peter.