Residents of small Quebec town want popular campground closed over COVID-19 fears

Every summer,a small town about an hour southwest of Montreal fills with folks looking to get away from the hustle and bustle of urban life cramming into Lac des Pins campgroundnear the New York border.

Residents of nearby Franklin, Que., were already tired of the crowds, but now with the threat of COVID-19 looming, more than 2,000 people have signed an online petition to keep the campground closed.

Campingis allowed across the province as of June 1, butLac des Pins isn't opening until June 12, and its owner, Nancy Rochefort says it will not be business as usual.

"We are very aware of the virus and do not want to infect anyone at all," Rochefortwrote in an email to CBC News.

Rochefort did not comment about the petition itself, but did outline some of the new rules.Only seasonal campers will be allowed, day visitors will be prohibited and seasonal employees won't be required to report for duty.

Disinfectants will be on hand, food services will be take-out only, employees will adornpersonal protective equipment and there will be signs everywhere people will have to sign a contract saying they will keep a safe distance from each other.

"[Campers] must do their shopping in their municipality before arriving at the campground," Rochefort said. "If they have flu symptoms, they should leave immediately and go home."

Should you go camping?

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Camping sites across Quebec can officially open as of Monday. That news is being greeted with worry by some residents in rural areas, concerned about Montrealers bringing Covid-19 to their towns.

Petition calls for campground to stay closed

Regardless of those efforts, residents are still worried.

The Haut-Saint-Laurent region is a "tight-knit rural community that has seen minimal impact from the COVID-19 pandemic to date" and that's largely due to public health restrictions, the online petition says.

Concerned that people from Montreal, the epicentre of the pandemic in Canada, may spread the virus when they come to town, the petition asks the government to consider the campground as a large gathering, which are prohibited until Aug. 31.

Catherine Blanger, a family doctor and medical co-ordinator for the region, says she is worried about outbreaks in the community if symptomatic people access local health-care services.

"They don't always know the best way to access health services," she said. "They'll just go to the emergency room."

Blanger said the area has been spared the devastationCOVID-19 has caused in other parts of Quebec.

"We have very few cases," she said. "We have to keep that hospital COVID free."

Public health officials preach caution

Dr. Gaston De Serres, epidemiologist from Quebec's public health research institute (INSPQ), said travellers must adhere to public health guidelines.

"If you are travelling to other regions, you have to be very cautious," De Serres said.

"You really have to apply, 100 per cent of the time, all these measures that we are repeating that are necessary to prevent transmission. If that happens, even if people are travelling within regions, the risk will be much lower."

Dr. Horacio Arruda, Quebec's public health director, is discouraging Montrealersfromtravelling far from the city.

"Stay around. We'll see what will happen in the next two weeks....Try not to mix up with others," he said on Friday. "Keep your mask on."