Toronto Public Health’s vice-chair responds to backlash over Sun column about COVID-19, says her only aim was to ‘promote discourse’
Toronto Public Health’s vice-chair responds to backlash over Sun column about COVID-19, says her only aim was to ‘promote discourse’
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In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, Toronto is now considering mandatory quarantines for anyone who has recently returned from the United States, including Canada, and is a signatory to the US–Mexico border and Canada–US border declarations.
This is in part due to the concerns of the local community.
As the world gets used to the COVID-19 crisis, however, the attention on Toronto and other cities, such as Vancouver, Vancouver Coastal Health says the risk of spreading COVID-19 to those who have recently returned are lower than other places. In Toronto however, COVID-19 cases have become extremely rare.
It’s that last point that prompted the vice-chair of Toronto Public Health, Dr. Anika Srivastava, to write an op-ed in the National Post that was picked up by The Sun.
The headline on the Globe and Mail’s copy of Srivastava’s column stated “Toronto should be allowed to quarantine itself”. The article concluded, “This is an outrage, and no one should have to suffer its consequences.”
Dr. Srivastava responded to the backlash, saying, “I did not write the original column.”
“I took the article at face value. I believe we need to have a conversation about who gets to be allowed to quarantine themselves.”
“It’s our responsibility to be critical about what’s happening. We have to have a conversation on the role of the government and what’
