Montreal public health is asking anyone who attended indoor or outdoor “Latin dance events” since July 31 to be tested for the novel coronavirus.
Dr. Mylène Drouin, director of the city’s public health department, said Monday that three people with confirmed cases of COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus, attended dances in Montreal.
“Today it’s salsa dance but every type of dance is at risk so we encourage people to follow public health recommendations,” she said.
Two people who tested positive for the virus went to a dance on Aug. 14 on Ste-Catherine Street and a second event at Frédéric-Back Park the following day, Aug. 15.
Authorities say other recent Latin dances organized in Lafontaine Park and in the Verdun neighbourhood could also be linked to the outbreak.
Drouin said it’s difficult to trace participants who were possibly exposed because there is no registry for dancing events. She said her office is recommending that event organizers keep lists of attendees’ contact information in the event of an outbreak.
The city’s screening centres have been informed and are ready to handle tests, she added. The last time public health authorities issued a citywide testing call-out — to anyone who had worked in or attended a bar in July — clinics were not ready and people stood in line for hours to get tested.
“We are in a phase where Montreal has few cases right now,” Drouin said. “So for each outbreak, we are really doing everything we can to trace the contacts and to try and control transmission as quickly as possible.”
Drouin is also reminding people that indoor dancing is illegal because it carries a higher risk of COVID-19 transmission.
Montreal public health has also issued a series of guidelines for outdoor dances to prevent the spread of the virus.
This includes staying home if you have COVID-19 symptoms or have been in contact with someone who has contracted the virus, wearing a mask if physical distancing is not possible and not changing dance partners. Authorities say attendees should also wash their hands frequently and not sing or shout during events.
Anyone who needs to book a test can visit the public health department’s website or call 514-644-4545.
— With files from the Canadian Press