Cote St-Luc city councillor Mike Cohen says council meetings should remain virtual as Quebec enters a sixth wave of COVID-19 infections.

Last week, the province gave municipalities new directives to return to in-person meetings, and some doctors say that might not be a good idea.

From Parliament Hill to city halls, Zoom or other online meeting platforms have kept governments running through the pandemic.

"There are people who were in Florida this winter, who were able to access meetings because they were on YouTube," said Cohen.

Quebec says now it's time for city councils to resume in-person sessions, something Cohen says could put people at risk.

"It's all a matter of timing," he said. "Just as a sixth wave is starting, it's another example of the provincial government putting its head in the sand and making us try and believe COVID is over."

Some municipalities are holding off despite the province's suggestion. Montreal's city council has officially moved to face-to-face meetings, but an executive council spokesperson would not confirm when the next council meeting will be in person. They said they are waiting to see if health measures change again.

Political analyst Daniel Beland said it's unlikely Quebec's CAQ government will add new health measures with the provincial Conservative party gaining in popularity partly due to its opposition to new restrictions.

"I think the CAQ government is under pressure to relax and dismantle measures but then this clashes with the new reality of the sixth wave," he said.

The National Assembly returned to in-person sittings last month, as many of the province's health restrictions were lifted.

There are now as many as 10 MNAs out with COVID-19 including Premier Francois Legault and deputy premier Genevieve Guilbeault.

"All it takes is is for one person to have COVID to spread it to others," said epidemiologist Dr. Christopher Labos. "Especially in political settings where politicians have a habit of taking masks off to give formal speeches."

Cohen said, given the rising case counts, deaths and hospitalizations, municipal councils should be able to decide on their own when to return.

"I realize the province doesn’t want to impose restrictions that they did, and I’m not saying they should," he said.

Cote St-Luc's next council meeting is on April 11 and, at this point, it will be in person.