Advertisement

Coronavirus: Montreal boroughs, cities, launch new social distancing measures

Click to play video: 'Coronavirus outbreak: How some Montreal areas are making sure residents are abiding by social distancing rules as the warmer weather arrives'
Coronavirus outbreak: How some Montreal areas are making sure residents are abiding by social distancing rules as the warmer weather arrives
WATCH: Montreal's borough of LaSalle and the City of Pointe-Claire are making sure that people can enjoy the popular outdoor hot spots along the water while still keeping two meters apart. Global's Felicia Parrillo has more – May 16, 2020

On Saturday morning, a new brigade hit the parks of LaSalle.

Their goal is to make sure people are respecting social distancing.

“It’s great, they’re enjoying themselves, but they quickly forget about safety rules and social distancing rules,” said Pierre Dupuis, the borough’s assistant general manager.

READ MORE: Coronavirus: Is it risky to hang out with friends in a park in Montreal?

LaSalle is a borough that has been hit hard by the novel coronavirus crisis.

As of Friday evening, it recorded 985 cases of COVID-19 and 133 deaths.

For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen.

Get breaking National news

For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen.
By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.

Officials say, with summer around the corner, it wants the brigades to act as a reminder to people that we are still living through a pandemic.

Story continues below advertisement

READ MORE: Coronavirus: Quebec deaths climb by 82, health care whistleblower email announced

“We have Montrealers coming from all over the island to enjoy the Saint Lawrence river — we have kilometres of parks — so we figured we had to do something more,” said Dupuis.

The situation is similar in Pointe-Claire.

The village is a popular attraction for both West Islanders and Montrealers alike.

“It’s very, very hard to manage that number of people under these conditions,” said Pointe-Claire Mayor John Belvedere.

READ MORE: Montreal to convert some streets to help pedestrians, cyclists get around amid coronavirus lockdown

In an effort to enforce social distancing, municipal patrols are often roaming parks and scanning the riverbanks.

The city has also implemented new measures in an effort to make the village more spacious.

“We’ve removed benches on sidewalks, we’ve removed tables off of terraces on sidewalks,” said Belvedere. “We’re not going to put flowerpots back along sidewalks — we’re trying to keep the sidewalks open as much as possible.”

Sponsored content

AdChoices