Quebec's 10 p.m. curfew will be lifted on Monday
Quebec's 10 p.m. curfew will no longer be in effect as of Monday, Jan. 17. as officials predict the province's explosive Omicron is coming to its peak. The premier also said he hopes that restaurants and other venues will be able to open in the coming weeks.
"Experts tell us that the new cases have peaked," Quebec Premier Francois Legault announced during a Thursday press conference on the reopening of schools, joined by Health Minister Christian Dube, Interim Public Health Director Dr. Luc Boileau, and Education Minister Jean-Francois Roberge.
"This means the measures we have put in place have worked."
The Legault government announced a 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. curfew one day before New Year’s Eve, catching many off guard just before the holiday.
The province also shut down bars, gyms, and indoor dining in restaurants as part of a suite of new measures in response to skyrocketing hospitalizations during the pandemic’s fifth wave. Those measures have not been lifted.
The province did announce some measures would be lifted, such as the closure of non-essential stores on Sundays, which will come to an end in time for Jan. 23. Non-essential stores will still be closed this Sunday as planned.
More stores, however, will be required to enforce the vaccine passport, the premier said. Businesses with more than 1,500 square metres will be subject to the vaccine passport as of Jan 24. The new measure will not apply to pharmacies and grocery stores.
"About 10 days ago, there was an exponential increase of infection,” said Legault, facing questions on the government’s handling of the pandemic.
“We set up exceptional measures, and 10 days later, we have better control of infections, and the increase has stabilized.”
Dr. Luc Boileau, interim Quebec Director of Public Health revolves his mask as he arrives at a news conference in Montreal, Tuesday, Jan. 11, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Chiasson
Dr. Luc Boileau, interim Quebec Director of Public Health removes his mask as he arrives at a news conference in Montreal, Tuesday, Jan. 11, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Chiasson
Daily case loads have been largely opaque following new measures restricting PCR tests to select, high-risk groups earlier in January.
Positivity rates, however, have slowed considerably. On Thursday, the province's positivity rate was just shy of 16 per cent, about half of what was recorded just a week prior, when the rate was over 30 per cent.
However, hospitalizations have grown considerably through Quebec's explosive Omicron wave, and the worst is likely yet to come, the premier said.
"We have to remain very careful. The number of hospitalization is still very high, and will maybe continue to increase for the next few days," he said, predicting hospitals may see their highest rates of admission this weekend.
Officials continued to encourage Quebecers to be vaccinated. Even as Omicron infections spread rapidly among those vaccinated and unvaccinated alike, it still provides good protection against serious infection.
“Vaccination is continuing," said Legault. "It is the key in order to be able to live with the virus."
As of Thursday's public health update, people who get infected with COVID-19 are 6.9 times more likely to end up in hospital if they aren't vaccinated.
While unvaccinated people make up about 13 per cent of the population, they account for 28 per cent of those in hospital and 45 per cent of those in the ICU.
Legault admitted that Ontario’s third-dose vaccination rollout, allowing all adults to get vaccinated all at once rather than one age-group at a time, was better than Quebec’s, which is presently lagging behind in booster rates.
“Sometimes you win, sometimes you don’t win,” he said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Spring allergy season has begun. Where is it worse in Canada?
The spring allergy season has started early in many parts of Canada, with high levels of pollen in some cities already. Experts weigh in on which areas have it worse so far this season.
'Nonsense:' Doug Ford slams lawsuits filed by Ontario school boards against social media platforms
Premier Doug Ford says that lawsuits launched by four Ontario school boards against a trio of social media platforms are “nonsense” and risk becoming a distraction to the work that really matters.
Several flight attendants from Pakistan have gone missing after landing in Canada
Multiple flight attendants from Pakistan International Airlines have abandoned their jobs and are believed to have sought asylum in Canada in the past year and a half, a spokesperson for the government-owned airline says.
Record-breaking N.B. lottery winner kept winning ticket on dresser for nearly a year
A New Brunswicker will go to bed Thursday night much richer than he was Wednesday after collecting on a winning lottery ticket he let sit on his bedroom dresser for nearly a year.
Multiple bridges in Calgary shut down for police incident
Calgary police have shut down a number of bridges into and out of the downtown core as officers deal with a distraught individual.
King Charles calls for acts of friendship in first public remarks since Kate's cancer diagnosis
King Charles III gave public remarks for Maundy Thursday, addressing the importance of acts of friendship, following his and Catherine, Princess of Wales’ cancer diagnoses.
Fallen crypto mogul Sam Bankman-Fried sentenced to 25 years in prison
Crypto entrepreneur Sam Bankman-Fried was sentenced Thursday to 25 years in prison for a massive fraud that unravelled with the collapse of FTX, once one of the world's most popular platforms for exchanging digital currency.
A dog and a bird formed an unlikely friendship. Their separation has infuriated followers
Peggy is a stout and muscular Staffordshire bull terrier, and Molly is a magpie, an Australian bird best known for swooping on humans during breeding season, not for befriending dogs. But in an emotional video posted online, Peggy’s owners announced that the animals had been separated.
Tipping is off the table at this Toronto restaurant
A Toronto restaurant introduced a surprising new rule that reduced the cost of a meal and raised the salaries of staff.