Quebec restricts access to the Gaspé Peninsula
On March 28, Deputy Premier Geneviève Guilbault announced the latest measures at the government’s daily briefing regarding the covid-19 crisis. Ms. Guilbault said the government would be implementing restrictions to protect the northern and eastern regions that are isolated and are home to a vulnerable population.
The Gaspé Peninsula is one of the eight regions affected by the new measure.
In order to monitor entry into and exit from the region, control points have been set up at airports, maritime facilities, as well as on the various routes that allow entry to the Gaspé Peninsula and Magdalen Islands. Only those fitting the following exceptions will be permitted to enter the region:
- have their principal residence on the Gaspé;
- transporting goods to the region permitting the continuity of providing priority services (strict checks will be made);
- displacement is necessary for humanitarian purposes;
- travel is necessary to obtain required health care or services or to provide such care or services to a person who requires them;
- to work in a workplace where priority services are offered;
- to comply with an order contained in a judgment rendered by a court;
- arriving directly from an area where access is limited.
IMPORTANT: Despite the exceptions, access to the region is strictly prohibited for people with symptoms related to COVID-19 (cough, fever, difficulty breathing, sore throat or loss of smell).
Gaspé mayor is satisfied with new control measures
CARLETON: – The mayor of Gaspé and prefect of the Côte-de-Gaspé MRC, Daniel Côté, says he is “satisfied” with the control measures decreed by the Government of Quebec to limit the spread of covid-19 between regions.
The Gaspé Peninsula and Magdalen Islands constitute one of the eight regions targeted by the new control measures. “It has been discussed for a while,” says Mayor Côté. “There are two conditions that must be respected; basic goods and services need to circulate to reach the region and our products must be able to get out, such as marine products and wind blades,” he adds.
The Gaspé and the Magdalen Islands have been relatively spared from the coronavirus pandemic. However, two cases of the virus were reported in the region on Saturday, for a total of nine since the first report on March 21. The first case involved a teacher from New Carlisle, she has now fully recovered from the virus. None of the first seven regional cases required hospitalization and they were all people who had travelled. For the moment, information isn’t available regarding the two new cases.