COVID updates, March 11: Only masks will remain — Quebec lifts all other pandemic restrictions tomorrow
Quebec opts for a quiet, reflective day to mark the second anniversary of the pandemic.
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Updated throughout the day on Friday, March 11. Questions/comments: ariga@postmedia.com
Top updates
- Quebec to eliminate some health worker bonuses
- Canada’s jobless rate plunges to pre-pandemic lows, proving the COVID recession is over
- Some Ontario post-secondary schools to keep mask mandates in place
- Only masks will remain – Quebec lifts all other pandemic restrictions tomorrow
- Ottawa businesses hurt by convoy pandemic protest can apply for $10K in funding: feds
- COVID’s true death toll: far higher than official records
- Quebec reports 13 new deaths as hospitalization, ICU cases drop
- Legault wants to distance CAQ from its COVID-19 response, Quebec Liberals charge
- On 2nd anniversary, Quebec remembers pandemic victims
- Canada posts massive job gain, jobless rate drops below pre-pandemic level for first time
- Quebec opts for quiet, reflective day to mark 2nd anniversary of COVID-19 pandemic
- Legault: Quebec will never forget COVID-19 victims
- ‘People are thirsty’ to dance again, Montreal club owners say
- After two years of pandemic, Canadians want changes to health system: poll
- Ontario school boards grapple with mask rules; some seeking extensions beyond March 21
- Ontario education minister defends March 21 end date for mask mandate in schools
- Quebec COVID guide: Vaccinations, vaccine passports, testing, restrictions
- Sign up for our free nightly coronavirus newsletter
4 p.m.
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2:30 p.m.
Quebec to eliminate some health worker bonuses
Quebec today announced that it will soon do away with several bonuses it has put in place for health workers amid the pandemic.
The changes come into effect on April 16, the Health Department said in a press release.
For example, it will eliminate the bonus of between four per cent and eight per cent it has given to some workers.
1:40 p.m.
Canada’s jobless rate plunges to pre-pandemic lows, proving the COVID recession is over
Canadian employers added 337,000 jobs in February, exceeding the number of positions lost in January amid a new round of strict health restrictions implemented to fight the Omicron virus by more than 100,000, proving definitively that the COVID-19 recession is over.
The latest hiring numbers show the economy quickly righted itself after taking a brief knock from the fifth wave of COVID-19 infections. The unemployment rate fell to 5.5 per cent, dropping below its pre-pandemic level for the first time, Statistics Canada reported on Friday.
1:40 p.m.
Some Ontario post-secondary schools to keep mask mandates in place
Some of Ontario’s post-secondary institutions are opting to keep mask mandates in place, even after the provincial rules lift.
1:40 p.m.
Canadian law to prohibit unvaccinated visiting baseball players in Toronto
Canadian law prohibits unvaccinated players on visiting teams from playing the Blue Jays at Rogers Centre in Toronto.
1:15 p.m.
Only masks will remain – Quebec lifts all other pandemic restrictions tomorrow
As of tomorrow – Saturday, March 12 – Quebec will lift all pandemic restrictions apart from those related to wearing masks.
That means:
- No capacity limits at bars, restaurants, gyms or the Bell Centre.
- Normal business hours resume for bars and restaurants.
- Dancing and karaoke are permitted.
- Vaccine passports will no longer be required, except for international travel and places and activities regulated by federal authorities.
As for masks, Quebec has already lifted the requirement that elementary and high school students wear them in classrooms.
The province says that “no later than mid-April,” the obligation to wear a mask will be dropped for all spaces except public transit.
Then, in May at the earliest, Quebec plans to lift the mask mandate in public transit, as well.
1 p.m.
Ottawa businesses hurt by convoy pandemic protest can apply for $10K in funding: feds
From The Canadian Press:
The federal government says businesses in Ottawa impacted by the weeks-long protest convoy can apply for up to $10,000 to offset their losses.
Mona Fortier, MP for Ottawa-Vanier and president of the Treasury Board, says the application portal launches March 15.
The government previously announced a $20-million investment to help businesses hurt by the convoy.
Fortier says small businesses have shown incredible resilience throughout the pandemic, but especially during the three weeks that anti-vaccine mandate protesters occupied the city’s core.
She says the occupation forced many small businesses in downtown Ottawa to close or cut back their hours, which led to big revenue losses.
Fortier says businesses in Gatineau, Que., across the river from Ottawa, will also be eligible for government assistance if they suffered losses during the protest.
The funding will help with lost sales and other added costs due to the protest, such as hiring security or lost inventory that had to be thrown out.
11:30 a.m.
Chart: Current situation vs. one year ago
11:30 a.m.
Charts: Quebec cases, deaths
11:30 a.m.
Charts: Quebec’s vaccination campaign
11:30 a.m.
COVID’s true death toll: far higher than official records
11:05 a.m.
Quebec reports 13 new deaths as hospitalization, ICU cases drop
Quebec has recorded 1,179 new cases of COVID-19, the provincial government announced this morning.
The case tally only includes people who received PCR tests at government screening clinics. It does not accurately reflect the number of cases since it does not include the results of home rapid tests.
In addition, 13 new deaths were reported, bringing the cumulative total to 14,154.
Some other key statistics from Quebec’s latest COVID-19 update:
- Montreal Island: 154 cases, zero deaths.
- Net decrease in hospitalizations: 36, for total of 1,126 (68 entered hospital, 104 discharged).
- Net decrease in intensive care patients: 3, for total of 65 (5 entered ICUs, 8 discharged).
- 15,283 PCR tests conducted Wednesday.
- 7,894 vaccine doses administered over previous 24 hours.
10:55 a.m.
Legault wants to distance CAQ from its COVID-19 response, Quebec Liberals charge
As he defended his government’s record on dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic, which was officially declared two years ago on March 11, Quebec Premier François Legault came under fire Friday from the opposition Liberals, who accused him of trying to distance his party from its handling of the health crisis.
Quebec Liberal Party Leader Dominique Anglade, referring to the Legault government’s decision to observe this year’s anniversary with no public ceremony, noted the pandemic claimed the lives of 4,000 Quebecers over the past year.
10:25 a.m.
On 2nd anniversary, Quebec remembers pandemic victims
10 a.m.
Canada posts massive job gain, jobless rate drops below pre-pandemic level for first time
From the Reuters news agency:
Canada posted a blockbuster job gain in February, easily beating expectations, while the unemployment rate dropped below its pre-pandemic level for the first time, data from Statistics Canada showed on Friday.
The economy added a net 336,600 jobs, more than double the 160,000 analysts had forecast, that data showed. The jobless rate fell to 5.5 per cent, its lowest level since 5.4 per cent in May 2019, as Canada reopened from strict Omicron restrictions.
Hours worked surged 3.6 per cent, rising above February 2020 levels for the first time, with overall employment now 1.9 per cent above pre-pandemic levels.
“Obviously, economists were expecting a rebound but clearly not of this magnitude,” said Doug Porter, chief economist at BMO Capital Markets.
“Part-time jobs accounted for roughly two-thirds of the gain but, still, to see a month where hours worked rose by 3.6 per cent and the unemployment rate threatened to go through a modern-day low … this is a very impressive report.”
Full-time employment rose by 121,500, while 215,100 part-time jobs were added. The average hourly wage of permanent employees rose 3.3 per cent year-over-year.
9:30 a.m.
Quebec opts for quiet, reflective day to mark 2nd anniversary of COVID-19 pandemic
From The Canadian Press:
On the second anniversary of the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in Quebec, Premier François Legault says the government did what it could to save as many lives as possible.
“This day is dedicated to their memory and to their loved ones who continue to suffer from their absence,” Legault wrote in an open letter published in various media on Friday to mark the national day of remembrance for the victims of COVID-19.
“It is for them that Quebecers will remember on March 11.”
Unlike last year, the Legault government will not hold a ceremony to honour the memory of Quebecers who’ve succumbed to the disease since 2020. As of Thursday, 14,141 residents have died as a result of the novel coronavirus.
Last year’s inaugural event brought together several dignitaries and representatives of bereaved families as part of an elaborate ceremony. This year, the government will lower the Quebec flag at half-mast at the National Assembly and at other provincial offices to mark the day.
Quebec has been the hardest hit of any province in the country by COVID-19, accounting for 38 per cent of all deaths despite having less than a quarter of Canada’s population.
The government decided on a simple day “out of respect for the families and loved ones of the victims.” Legault has not planned any public events on Friday.
In his open letter, Legault wrote that he will remember those initial weeks, the daily press briefings announcing restrictions and the “long days and nights spent wondering if we were making the right decisions.”
“We did what we had to do to save as many lives as possible. I remember that Quebecers immediately grasped the seriousness of the situation and that Quebec reacted admirably in the face of danger.”
Legault wrote that after a rapid rise in cases and deaths during the first wave of the pandemic, the province moved to bolster its health-care system by adding staff while keeping schools open for kids.
“We carried out one of the most effective vaccination campaigns in the world,” he added, noting that most restrictions will be withdrawn by the weekend.
The anniversary, Legault wrote, reminds him of “the strength of our people and of the enormous sacrifices that we have had to make. It also brings to mind all those who left us too soon.”
“The virus attacked the most vulnerable among us, especially our seniors, who built Quebec,” Legault wrote. “Together, we managed to save thousands of lives, but we also lost too many mothers, fathers, grandmothers, and grandfathers. We lost brothers, sisters, and friends.”
However, Liberal Leader Dominique Anglade found it difficult to accept the government’s decision to forgo a ceremony this year, noting the province added 4,000 deaths since last March and those people should also be remembered. She accused Legault’s Coalition Avenir Québec government of trying to distance itself from the COVID-19 pandemic.
In a statement, the Opposition Liberals reiterated their call for a public inquiry into the government’s handling of the pandemic. The party has promised to hold an inquiry if it wins the provincial election later this year.
9:25 a.m.
Legault: Quebec will never forget COVID-19 victims
“I will remember for the rest of my life the first weeks of the pandemic, the daily press briefings to inform Quebecers, and the long days and nights spent wondering if we were making the right decisions.”
Read Premier François Legault’s full opinion piece about the second anniversary of the pandemic.
9:25 a.m.
‘People are thirsty’ to dance again, Montreal club owners say
Montreal will probably be feeling a little Saturday night fever this weekend.
That’s because on Saturday the Quebec government is finally lifting the restrictions on dancing and karaoke, two of the activities that have been banned for the lengthiest period during the pandemic.
Read our full story, by Brendan Kelly.
9:25 a.m.
After two years of COVID pandemic, Canadians want changes to health system: poll
A new Postmedia-Leger poll, however, suggests most Canadians have little faith their political leaders will make meaningful reforms to the health system to avoid future crises.
9:25 a.m.
Ontario school boards grapple with mask rules; some seeking extensions beyond March 21
Ontario’s largest school board says it is seeking permission to keep COVID-19 safety protocols such as masks in schools longer than the end date of March 21 announced this week by the province, The Canadian Press reports.
The Toronto District School Board says trustees voted during a meeting last night to write a letter to the chief medical officer of health, the Ministry of Education, and Toronto Public Health to request additional time for removing public health measures in TDSB schools.
A trustee for the Toronto Catholic District School Board says they voted to ask the ministry to let them keep mask rules in their schools for two weeks after March break, which begins Monday.
In Guelph, the Upper Grand District School Board says mandatory masking will end in its schools on March 21, as the board doesn’t have the authority to extend those rules after the province lifts mask requirements.
Ontario announced this week that on March 21, masking requirements in most settings will be removed — including in schools and child-care settings.
A coalition of children’s hospitals had urged the province to keep masks in schools for at least two weeks after March break, saying that public health measures are what have kept schools open.
9:25 a.m.
Ontario education minister defends March 21 end date for mask mandate in schools
Ontario’s education minister is defending the province’s plan to end mask rules along with other COVID-19 measures in schools on March 21 despite concerns from educators and health experts about the timeline.
9:15 a.m.
Quebec COVID guide: Vaccinations, vaccine passports, testing, restrictions
Vaccinations
- You can book appointments via the Clic Santé website or by phone at 1-877-644-4545.
- The government has posted information about first doses, second doses and third doses (booster shots).
- We have put together a guide to getting vaccinated in Quebec, including the age groups targeted, how to book appointments, and addresses of vaccination centres.
Vaccine passport
- Quebec’s vaccine passport, based on a downloadable QR code, is mandatory for people 13 and older who want to access certain services and activities.
- Quebecers can use the VaxiCode smartphone app (on Apple devices or Google Android devices) to show their QR code.
- They can also simply print out their QR code and bring it with them on paper, or as an image on their phone.
- Here’s our guide to downloading the QR code and setting up the app.
- Our FAQ includes answers to key questions about the passport system.
- The Quebec government has published a list of the places where a vaccine passport is required.
Testing
- Quebec now limits access to PCR tests at government screening centres to specific priority groups, such as health workers in direct contact with the public, Indigenous communities and the homeless.
- The province is distributing free home rapid tests via pharmacies.
- Quebec has published a guide explaining when and how to use rapid tests, as well as a flowchart outlining what to do when you have results.
Pandemic restrictions
- We are regularly updating our guide to what services are open, closed or modified in Montreal and Quebec.
- The government has a website focused on current measures, organized by category. You’ll find rules regarding gatherings, activities, shopping, sports, schools and visiting hospitals, long-term care facilities and seniors’ homes.
8:30 a.m.
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