Health Minister Patty Hajdu gave a stern warning to Canadians defying self-isolation orders Saturday, saying that a failure to follow public health guidelines to limit the spread of COVID-19 could “put our civil liberties in jeopardy.”
Health Minister Patty Hajdu gave a stern warning to Canadians defying self-isolation orders Saturday, saying that a failure to follow public health guidelines to limit the spread of COVID-19 could “put our civil liberties in jeopardy.”
“It makes governments have to look at more and more stringent measures to actually contain people in their own homes,” Hajdu said during a news conference attended by other cabinet ministers. “Our freedoms around the measures that we’re taking right now depend on people taking them seriously.”
Hajdu urged Canadians to work together to contain the spread of COVID-19, which surpassed 1,200 confirmed cases across the country on Saturday.
The federal government has advised Canadians to stay at home and limit their contact with others if they have been diagnosed with the virus, exposed to someone who has or if they travelled outside the country within the past 14 days.
The minister said that if people fail to abide by those recommendations, politicians and governments could be forced to consider stronger measures.
“I would encourage Canadians to think about that and to think about their obligation to act collectively right now,” Hajdu urged. “Right now is your chance.”
WATCH | Social distancing could last months, health minister says
Health Minister Patty Hajdu is sending a warning to Canadians ignoring social distancing measures, saying it jeopardizes civil liberties and puts lives at risk. She anticipates these measures will last months, stressing ‘now is not the time to