Quebec to decide whether or not to lift curfew next week, Dube says

MONTREAL -

The Quebec government has said the province-wide curfew will be the “the first” public health measure to be lifted once the situation in hospitals improves, but it is still mulling over whether or not it will do so next week.

In an interview with 98.5 FM on Monday, the province’s health minister, Christian Dubé, said a decision on the controversial measure is on the horizon.

“We’re at Jan. 10, there is still one week to go,” he said. “We’ll re-evaluate what we are going to do for the 17th of January.”

Jan. 17 is the date when certain restrictions will be lifted in Quebec — primary, secondary and post-secondary educational institutions are scheduled to resume in-person classes after going online following the holiday break and non-essential stores will be allowed to operate again on Sundays.

The Legault government announced a 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. curfew one day before New Year’s Eve, catching many off guard just before the holiday. The province also shut down bars, gyms, and indoor dining in restaurants as part of a suite of new measures in response to skyrocketing hospitalizations during the pandemic’s fifth wave.

Dubé said the closure of non-essential stores, including grocery stores, on Sundays was meant to give workers a break since many businesses are facing a labour shortage.

He also hinted that more public health measures could be announced soon for the non-vaccinated population. Last week, the government announced the vaccine passport will be required to enter the SAQ and SQDC as of Jan. 18. 

Soon after the announcement that the passport was needed to buy alcohol and cannabis in those stores, Dube said appointments for first doses of the vaccine jumped significantly.

“Like for the SAQ, like for the SQDC, yes, there will be other measures … for the unvaccinated,” Dubé said in the interview.

He added that the province will do this by making the vaccine passport mandatory in more locations.

His warning to those who haven't gotten their shots yet: “Get vaccinated or you can’t go out.”

In its daily COVID-19 update on Monday, Quebec reported a record of 2,554 total hospitalizations after 351 more people were admitted to hospital in the last 24 hours. However, ICU numbers dropped for the first time since Christmas Day to start the week with nine fewer patients in intensive care wards than there were 24 hours ago for a total of 248.