Quebec tightening restrictions again Reading time: 2 min
By Matthew McCully
It took less than two weeks for Quebec to reverse its decision to loosen restrictions in red zones, backtracking and adding new preventative measures to address the large increase in the spread of variants in the province.
While there hasn’t been an increase in hospitalizations, premier Francois Legault said based on the number of new cases, it’s basically a question of days or weeks to see the effects.
Starting on Monday, secondary 3,4 and 5 students in red zones will go back to alternating days of in-person classes and distance learning, and extra-curricular activities are cancelled. Starting Thursday, gyms in red zones must also close, and places of worship will be limited to 25 people.
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Some other key statistics from Quebec’s latest COVID-19 update, published this morning:
Montreal Island: 299 cases, zero deaths.
29 more people are in hospital. Total hospitalizations: 543.
2 more people are in intensive care. Total in ICU: 123.
43,631 additional vaccine doses were administered, bringing the total to 1,636,310.
On Monday, Quebec conducted 34,499 tests. That’s the last day for which screening data is available.
The positivity rate is 4 per cent.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, Quebec has reported 319,802 cases and 10,709 deaths linked to COVID-19. A total of 298,298 people who have contracted the disease have since recovered.
10:50 a.m.
Vaccine panel confirms choice to delay second dose by up to 4 months
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Montrealers under the age of 60 living with chronic illness will be eligible next week for a COVID-19 shot, Health Minister Christian Dubé announced on Wednesday.
And on Friday, essential workers who carry out their jobs in Montreal will be able to book a vaccine appointment on the government’s website.
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A person with a chronic illness must be followed by a specialist in a hospital. The vaccine will be administered by a patient’s doctor in their hospital. Among those eligible for the vaccines are people who have had organ and bone-marrow transplants, cancer patients and those receiving dialysis.
After back-and-forth week, Quebec signals willingness to play by new rules set by COVID variants cbc.ca - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from cbc.ca Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
The province has promised to adjust its booking website so that people can pick AstraZeneca or avoid it if they want. It has also created several walk-in sites in the Montreal area where people over 55 can get the AstraZeneca vaccine: 4988 Vézina St. (Aréna Bill-Durnan) 1001 Jean-Paul Riopelle Place (Palais de Congres) 4545 Pierre-de-Coubertin Ave. (Atrium du Stade Olympique) 821 Sainte Croix Ave. (Clinique de vaccination de Saint-Laurent) 12001 De Salaberry Blvd. (Centre civique de Dollard-des-Ormeaux) 707 75th Ave. (Centre sportif Dollard-St-Laurent) 1650 Cedar Ave. (Centre universitaire de santé McGill - Hôpital général de Montréal) A full list of sites offering AstraZeneca across the province is available here.