A handful of Quebec politicians, including three provincial cabinet ministers and the mayor of Montreal, are in preventive isolation after an elected official on the city’s south shore tested positive for the novel coronavirus.
Justice Minister Simon Jolin-Barrette, Transport Minister François Bonnardel and Chantal Rouleau, junior transportation minister, are isolating Tuesday after meeting with Longueuil Mayor Sylvie Parent last week.
Ian Lafrenière, the MNA for the Vachon riding on Montreal’s south shore, and independent MNA Catherine Fournier have also followed suit.
Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante announced in the afternoon she will be taking the same precautions since she met with Rouleau.
“I will put myself, as a precaution, in preventive isolation until Ms. Rouleau’s test results are known,” Plante tweeted.
Marc Demers, the mayor of Laval, also said on social media that he will be in isolation pending test results since he was in contact with Parent.
The wave of preventive isolation measures comes after Parent said she started experiencing mild symptoms of COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus, on Friday.
Parent said she underwent a test and received a positive diagnosis two days later Friday.
“I have often added my voice to those who remind us that the pandemic is far from over and I am the proof today,” she said in a statement issued Tuesday.
READ MORE: Quebec reports more than 200 new coronavirus cases for second consecutive day
Parent will undergo a 10-day quarantine as outlined by the province, which recently reduced the period for people with mild symptoms.
The mayor of the south shore city said that she will continue to work from home in the meantime, but that she is cancelling all physical appearances.
“I will resume my normal activities when I get the green light from public health,” she said.
— With files from Global News’ Raquel Fletcher and the Canadian Press
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