MONTREAL -- The city of Montreal is rolling out a program to help cultural and tourism businesses affected by the COVID-19 pandemic by creating an emergency fund of $5 million.
Mayor Valérie Plante unveiled the economic intervention plan at a press conference on Thursday afternoon.
In addition, citizens and merchants will benefit from an additional month to make their second payment of municipal taxes initially scheduled for June 1. Montrealers will now have until July 2 to pay.
Businesses that have taken out loans from the City of Montreal will also be entitled to a six-month moratorium on their repayment. The city will absorb the interest estimated at $1.3 million.
With regard to interventions to combat the spread of the new coronavirus, the Montreal regional director of public health, Dr. Mylene Drouin, has chosen to withdraw her team from the Montreal-Trudeau International Airport.
Interveners had been dispatched to the site to inform travellers of the importance of respecting the isolation instructions. That objective has been achieved, she said, preferring to devote the staff to investigative work in the field.
