MONTREAL -- Further lockdown restrictions are coming to the province of Quebec, but Premier Francois Legault would not elaborate on what those would be.
In a lengthy one-on-one interview with CTV Montreal anchor Mutsumi Takahashi, Legault said the holiday season presented a unique opportunity to prevent the further spread of COVID-19. The stricter lockdown measures will be unveiled during a press conference on Tuesday.
“The opportunity we have during the holiday season is, the two places we have a lot of contagion is schools and companies, including retail stores,” he said. “We already have schools and construction closed for two weeks. So how can we add to that to make sure we curb the contagion?”
The premier said his largest concern is keeping the province's hospitals, already stretched to their limits, from being overwhelmed.
“Right now, I worry about the next few weeks... in our hospitals. They already have important waiting lists for all kinds of surgeries. That worries me.”
Legault defended his government's record on the pandemic. While there has been public confusion on the government's messaging surrounding its actions, he said that ultimately, he takes responsibility for all actions taken.
“Transparency is very key and I've tried since March to give all the information I have to the population. If we talk about restrictions, what I've said since the beginning if we listen to the recommendations of public health but my government makes the decisions,” he said.
“After 10 months, some people are tired of these restrictions, but it's a small minority. We see the light at the end of the tunnel with the vaccine we started giving today, so we will need a few months to make sure we vaccinate people in Quebec, but in the meantime, the virus is strong. I'm asking the population to be careful.”
During the lengthy interview, Legault also touched on other subjects, such as racism in Quebec, the future of Bill 101 and his relationship with the province's minority communities.
You can watch the full interview above.
