Lac-Leamy casino fails to enforce mask mandates

One of the region's largest casinos has failedto properly enforce COVID-19 masking rules, according to an investigation by Radio-Canada.

The infractions at Casino du Lac-Leamy in Gatineau, Que., were first notedby Linda Dumouchel, a nursing assistant at the Hull Hospital, and then confirmed by a team of Radio-Canada reporters last weekend.

Dumouchelsaid she was visiting the casino for her first outing in nearly two years, and while she was asked to verify her COVID-19 vaccination status upon entry,many people were not wearing masks once they were inside.

In fact, people were celebrating like they were before the pandemic, she said.

"We're no longer respecting health measures," Dumouchel said in a French-language interview. "That means I'm going to have more [patients] again, and that's not what I want."

Radio-Canada spent two hours at the casino last weekend and also spotted people chatting and dancing while not wearing masks.Several patrons did not have glasses in their hands, which would have justified being temporarily maskless.

During those two hours, no one from the casino was observed telling people to put their masks on. Only the band reminded the audience to do so.

In a French-language email, Loto-Qubec said it has always taken COVID-19 restrictions "very seriously" and would send additional reminders to both employees and customers to follow the rules.

"It is clear that in all our establishments, all health rules must be observed," wrote spokespersonRenaud Dugas.

No one from Casino du Lac-Leamy responded to requests for an interview.

Not time to let loose, says expert

These sorts of behaviours are not surprising after more than 20 months of life in a pandemic, said Dr. Lise Bjerre, an epidemiologist and the family medicine research chair at the University of Ottawa.

"It's clear that everyone is tired and bored," Bjerre told Radio-Canada in French. "But that does not change the fact thatparticularly now, with the arrival of the Omicron variant, we absolutely cannot let down our guards."

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Quebec relaxedrules Nov. 15 to allow for dancing, singing and standingin bars, restaurants and casinos.

Since then, Gatineau police have intervened nine times at Casino du Lac-Leamy, but all of those incidents involved complaints aboutfake vaccine passports not about health measures being ignored, the force said.

Despite the more lenient restrictions, wearing a face coveringis still required except when eating or drinking.