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
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
House admonishes ArriveCan contractor in rare parliamentary show of power
MPs enacted an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power on Wednesday, summonsing an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons where he was admonished publicly and forced to provide answers to the questions MPs said he'd previously evaded.
Leafs star Auston Matthews finishes season with 69 goals
Auston Matthews won't be joining the NHL's 70-goal club this season.
Trump lawyers say Stormy Daniels refused subpoena outside a Brooklyn bar, papers left 'at her feet'
Donald Trump's legal team says it tried serving Stormy Daniels a subpoena as she arrived for an event at a bar in Brooklyn last month, but the porn actor, who is expected to be a witness at the former president's criminal trial, refused to take it and walked away.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
Doug Ford calls on Ontario Speaker to reverse Queen's Park keffiyeh ban
Ontario Premier Doug Ford is calling on Speaker Ted Arnott to reverse a ban on keffiyehs at Queen's Park, describing the move as “needlessly” divisive.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
Woman who pressured boyfriend to kill his ex in 2000s granted absences from prison
A woman who pressured her boyfriend into killing his teenage ex more than a decade ago will be allowed to leave prison for weeks at a time.
Customers disappointed after email listing $60K Tim Hortons prize sent in error
Several Tim Horton’s customers are feeling great disappointment after being told by the company that an email stating they won a boat worth nearly $60,000 was sent in error.