QUEBEC CITY -- The Parti Quebecois (PQ) is asking the Quebec government to adopt a more regionalized approach to better reflect the epidemiological reality of each region, in particular through the return of the colour-coded, tiered alert system.

Magdalen Islands MNA Joel Arseneau, who is the PQ spokesperson for health, indicates that since the announcement made on Wednesday by CAQ Premier Francois Legault, Quebec will be divided into two as of next Monday: red and orange zones.

He said that among the orange zones, some still count a few dozen cases daily, while in the Magdalen Islands, for example, no new cases have been identified for nearly two months.

Arseneau believes nuances during the COVID-19 pandemic are a better idea.

He also points out that the Chaudière-Appalaches and Quebec City regions, which now enjoy a more stable epidemiological situation, will switch to orange next Monday, the same level of alert as the Cote-Nord, Nord-du-Quebec, Abitibi-Temiscamingue, Bas-Saint-Laurent, Gaspesie-Magdalen Islands and Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean which have been considered under control for over a month.

Arseneau believes that these latter regions should have been demoted to an alert level that better corresponds to their current epidemiological situation.

Quebec public health rejected a scenario in which the regions would be fragmented, for example with one sector in the red zone and another in the orange zone, in particular, because it is the same hospitals that serve all these sectors of the same region.

Director of public health Horacio Arruda added that for the regions that will move to the orange tier, there will be no guarantee that they will be able to stay there, because the coming month will remain risky, with not all elders having been vaccinated against COVID-19.

In addition, Arseneau welcomes the fact that the government has opened the door to the imminent resumption of organized sports and indoor shows.

-- this report by The Canadian Press was first published March 4, 2021.