MONTREAL -- Holiday shopping is coming to an end in most parts of Quebec as non-essential businesses will have to close their doors this Friday, until Jan. 11.
The closures also affect personal care, such as hair and nail salons, and big box stores will be prohibited from selling goods that are not essential.
Grocery stores, pharmacies, garages and pet stores will however remain open and health services, such as dentists, will be maintained.
Primary schools will also be closed until Jan. 11, and, as previously announced for secondary schools, distance learning courses will be offered.
Premier Francois Legault announced the measures on Dec. 15, and explained that they would reduce the pressure on hospitals.
Since that date, the number of hospital admissions of patients suffering from the coronavirus has steadily increased. There are now over 1,000 of these patients in beds that cannot be used for other care.
The government also announced that telework is compulsory until Jan. 11 for office workers, in the private and public sectors.
-- this report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 24, 2020.
