Montreal Vlogger Explores Which Shopping Items Are Considered Essential Amid Quebec Lockdown
Canadian vlogger and lawyer David Freiheit shared his experience navigating holiday season coronavirus restrictions implemented in Montreal, Quebec, in a YouTube video posted on December 30.
Montreal was placed under Level 4 restrictions “prohibiting non-essential activities” when Quebec imposed a province-wide lockdown, sparking confusion among Canadian shoppers struggling to determine what constitutes essential items, according to reports.
In the video, Freiheit visits a pharmacy and a grocery store with his young son.
Freiheit is surprised to find socks, tape and women’s hosiery among the pharmacy’s non-essential items, with the shelves displaying the products wrapped in cling film. He notes that multiple confectionary items remained available for purchase.
“So apparently you can’t get pantyhose and you can’t get tape and you can’t get socks,” he says. “But you can get bubble gum.”
Freiheit’s son is glad to hear he can get bubble gum and wastes no time picking out a flavour.
“It was nothing shy of arbitrary madness,” Freiheit told Storyful. “A real time Milgram experiment.”
The restrictions, which came into effect on December 25 with a cessation date of January 10, were intended to “take advantage of the festive season to limit the spread of COVID-19.” Credit: David Freiheit via Storyful
