Quebec to decide whether or not to lift curfew next week, Dube says
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.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.