Pandemic rules keeping terminally ill man from seeing family

A Gatineau, Que., man with Lou Gehrig's disease says he'sbarely able to see his family in New Brunswick because of COVID-19 restrictions at theprovincial border.

Philippe Blangerwas diagnosed in June 2019 withamyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a terminal disease that affects communication between the brain and muscles andwhich, according to the ALS Society of Canada, usually results in death two to five years after a diagnosis.

Before the pandemic, his father,Bertrand, would visit him every month.

Since the pandemic, he's only been able to visit once, in June. That's because ofrestrictions that include those in place at theNew Brunswick-Quebec border, whichrequiremost people visiting or returning to New Brunswick to self-isolate for up to 14 days.

Bertrand Blangersays he's tried and failed to get an exception.His son says it's not realistic for his father a practising physiotherapist to visit, return to New Brunswick, and then stay home from his job for two weeks.

"Time is running out We don't know when that will be, and that's the reality of this disease," Bertrand Blanger said through tears in a French-language interview with Radio-Canada.

New Brunswick is part of the Atlantic bubble, which was set up in early July because of the progress made in cutting back the spread of the coronavirus inthose four provinces a different dynamic than in Quebec and provinces further west.

Different provinces in thebubblehave different travelrules.

Currently, New Brunswick residents can travel into two Quebec border communities and return without having to self-isolate but that privilege doesn't extend to people travelling further west, unless they have exemptions.

Father doesn't qualify

In an email, the New Brunswick Department of Health said the olderBlangerdoesn't qualify for an exemption because he's leaving the province for personal reasons, not work.

Blanger says that'swrong, as he gives his son exercises that helphim do more tasks on his own.

Theprovince also said that humanitarian exemptions aregiven for people living outside New Brunswick to come into the province to provide carenot otherwise available, orfor someone that's either at the end of their life.

Philippe Blangersaid he doesn't think that the province's policy is right.

"It hurts me a lot to not have access to my parents," he said.