Quebec police to limit Ottawa-Gatineau border crossings for COVID-19 control
Norman Provencher, Ottawa Citizen
Publishing date: 40 minutes ago • 2 minute read
The province of Quebec has announced a stringent set of travel restrictions — including control points on the bridges between Ottawa and Gatineau — as part of its attempt to fight the spread of COVID-19.
“The Sûreté du Québec is working closely with the Service de police de la Ville de Gatineau and the Service de sécurité publique de la MRC des Collines-de-l’Outaouais in order to put in place common measures to limit the movements that will be controlled on a random basis by police forces,” said the press release issued shortly after 9:30 a.m.
The measures are part of a larger set of controls to limit movement in a number of regions within Quebec.
According to the release, the measures will not affect health care and services, and services essential for the continuity of commerce.
Although the release said the measures would begin at noon, there were few specific details. The Sûreté du Québec and Gatineau police had no immediate comment on the measures.
Local MNA and minister responsible for the Outaouais, Mathieu Lacombe, tweeted that the measures were “difficult, but necessary.”
Chantale Lamarche, president of the regional Conférence des préfets de l’Outaoauis group, a regional panel that includes representatives from a number of area communities, as well as Gatineau Mayor Maxime Pedneaud-Jobin, lauded the government decision on Wednesday.
“I’m proud of the work our group has done leading … to this excellent decision,” Lamarche said in a Facebook message.
The group has said in the past that “strong recommendations” last week from Pedneaud-Jobin and Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson to discourage non-essential transborder traffic had not had results and that stronger measures were required.
The government also announced new mobility restrictions within the province in the Laurentian, Lanaudière and the Mauricie and Centre-du-Québec health regions.
On Saturday, the province announced border controls between Ontario and Quebec’s northern Abitibi region as well as between Quebec and New Brunswick and Newfoundland and Labrador.
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