Quebec premier will wait until next week before giving recommendations on Christmas gatherings
Premier Francois Legault says he’s not making public health recommendations about Christmas gatherings just yet.
At a news conference on Tuesday, Legault said he will await recommendations due next week from director of public health Dr. Horacio Arruda before making any announcements about how many people Quebecers will be allowed to celebrate the season with this year.
The Tuesday conference was primarily to discuss how the province plans to mitigate the labour shortage. Legault used the occasion to clarify a statement he’d made Monday regarding a possible easing of restrictions on gatherings over the holiday period.
“What I said yesterday is I hope personally we can increase the amount, the number of people in houses from 10 to 20 (or) 25," he said.
"I hope so. But we'll have recommendations from Dr. Arruda next week, so I will follow the recommendations of Dr. Arruda."
Quebec officials had recently shown some optimism about family and friends getting together for the holidays now that children under 12 are eligible to receive their COVID-19 vaccinations. But concerns about the new Omicron variant, as well as an increase in cases in Quebec in recent days, may have dashed those hopes.
Quebec reported 784 new cases on Tuesday, down from highs late last week not seen in months, with 1,037 new cases reported on Nov. 26 and 1,171 the following day.
The first case of the Omicron variant was reported in Quebec on Monday.
Legault said he would also make recommendations about travel restrictions following the advice of public health.
“I like it very much when Quebecers stay in Quebec. My first choice is to see Quebecers staying here visiting the regions like Charlevoix," he said.
"It's a decision coming from public health and I will follow the recommendation of public health."
In the meantime, Montreal public health officials are set to hold a news conference Wednesday with an update on COVID-19 in the city.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.