Quebec public health urges citizens to remain calm amidst coronavirus outbreak

As fear over the coronavirus breaks out, Horacio Arruda, Quebec’s director of public health, is urging Quebecers to remain calm.

In a press release, Arruda reminded citizens that the provincial health board is continually taking necessary precautions when it comes to the respiratory virus and that no cases of the coronavirus are present in Quebec.

Arruda stated that citizens should not give in to unfounded and irrational fears and that spreading misinformation is dangerous.

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“There is a lot of information currently circulating in the media, and it is important to make sense of it, since many of it is exaggerated, even false,” says Arruda, in French. “We, therefore, wanted to take stock and remind the general public that there is no cause for excessive concern even though it remains important to be cautious and to promote protective measures.”

The press release notes that surgical masks are not a “useful tool” for the general population in Quebec, even in the context of an epidemic. Its use is more valuable to patients who’ve already been infected or is suspected to have a virus.

The release did advise Quebecers to take the proper precautions, like with any sickness and respiratory infections, to practice basic hygiene measures which include covering your mouth and nose while sneezing and washing your hands with soap and hot water.

Symptoms of the coronavirus consist of fever, coughing, difficulty breathing, and manifest roughly two weeks after infection.

Daily updates, run by the Ministère de la Santé et des Services sociaux, can be found on the service’s website.