FUREY: Coronavirus reminds us why public health officials need to keep away from the political
Back in 2012, the chief medical officer of health for Ottawa voiced his support for some form of pop ban similar to what was being implemented in Manhattan at the time. On Wednesday, Toronto Mayor John Tory convened a press conference to discuss one specific angle of the troubling illness that is gaining steam in China but seems relatively stable and muted in Canada. The subject of the press event though wasn’t updating residents on the numbers or offering insights on Canada’s response. It was to hector Torontonians and the broader region to not lash out at Chinese-Canadian people with racism and hatred. WARMINGTON: Mayor wrongly chastises residents over reaction to coronavirus LILLEY: WHO declares emergency, Canada remains under control WARMINGTON: Infectious disease specialist says 'we're prepared' for coronavirus We don’t know. Because when my colleague Joe Warmington asked both Tory and another city councillor to give an example, they ignored the question. It’s reckless and incendiary to spread such a rumour about your own city. Then again, Tory is a politician and he no doubt felt there was some strategy behind pre-emptively denouncing a city for something it hasn’t yet done. (And, let’s be crystal clear, if such things do happen, let’s all unite in rejecting it.) What makes matters more confusing is that Canada appears offside from the efforts of a number of other like-minded countries. The United States, United Kingdom, Australia and Italy have all announced more aggressive flight restrictions and quarantines for those returning from China and, specifically, Wuhan.
