COVID-19 live updates: Quebec to move curfew back to 8 p.m. in some regions – report

Article content

Updated throughout the day on Wednesday, March 31. Questions/comments: ariga@postmedia.com

Top updates

Article content

3:20 p.m.

Quebec to move curfew back to 8 p.m. in some regions: reports

Quebec is set to impose stricter restrictions in Quebec City and the Outaouais.

They will include an 8 p.m. curfew and the closing of non-essential businesses, La Presse and TVA are reporting.

Schools may also be closed.

The two regions will reportedly move back to the more severe red alert level. They had moved to orange on March 8 – just over three weeks ago.

Currently, Quebec’s curfew runs from 9:30 p.m. to 5 a.m. across the province.

On Tuesday, a reporter asked Premier François Legault what measures could be put in place to stem the rise in cases.

“We could come back to the old (red-zone) restrictions – an 8 p.m. curfew,” he answered. “In some places in the world, curfews are at 6 p.m. or 7 p.m.”

Article content

2:55 p.m.

Pandemic’s ‘crisis phase’ will be over before the fall, Tam says

Canada’s top public health doctor says she expects the “crisis phase of the pandemic” will be over before the fall.

Dr. Theresa Tam says the next few weeks may be the most challenging yet, as the third resurgence of cases driven by unrelenting variants of concern means there is even less “room for errors” in our public health measures.

But she says with every week that passes, with every shipment of vaccines and with the onset of nicer weather that will allow us to do more outdoor activities safely, things are going to get easier.

By June, Tam says, every adult Canadian who wants a vaccine will get at least one dose.

And by the fall, she says, they will get their second.

Article content

2:35 p.m.

As cases surge, Quebec City mayor warns of ‘dangerous situation’

Quebec City Mayor Régis Labeaume said Wednesday he is very worried about the case numbers, Philip Authier reports from Quebec City.

“We are in an extremely dangerous situation,” Labeaume told reporters. “For me thing things have become dangerous. We will let the governments take their decisions. We will apply them. But it’s very, very, very worrisome because the contamination is exponential.

“We are approaching 200 cases a day. That’s a lot. I can tell people enough that they have to be careful.”

Quebec City reported 194 cases today. Last week, it registered an average of 75 daily cases.

Public health officials in the provincial capital have ordered a gym to close after detecting 68 cases of COVID-19 allegedly linked to the facility, The Canadian Press reports.

Article content

Mathieu Boivin, a spokesman for the regional health authority in Quebec City, said officials inspected the Méga Fitness Gym Tuesday and concluded it wasn’t taking proper steps to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Boivin said clients of the gym are linked to at least eight other workplace outbreaks.

Article content

2:30 p.m.

France orders schools closed, widens COVID-19 restrictions

From the Reuters news agency:

President Emmanuel Macron extended movement restrictions to cover the whole of France and said schools would close for three weeks as he sought to push back a third wave of COVID-19 infections that threatens to overwhelm hospitals.

Macron said he was extending the lockdown rules already in place in Paris, swathes of the north and parts of the southeast to the whole country for at least a month, from Saturday.

“We will lose control if we do not move now,” the president said in a televised address to the nation.

The epidemic has killed 95,337 people in France and left intensive care units in the hardest-hit regions at the point of breakdown.

Article content

Schools will close for three weeks after Easter, which falls this weekend.

“It is the best solution to slow down the virus,” Macron said, adding that France had succeeded in keeping its schools open for longer during the pandemic than many neighbours.

2 p.m.

Federal update on COVID-19 in Indigenous communities

Article content

1:55 p.m.

Ontario to announce new measures tomorrow

From The Canadian Press:

Ontario will announce measures on Thursday aimed at fighting the pandemic’s third wave, the government said, as the number of COVID-19 patients in the province’s intensive care units hit a new high.

Premier Doug Ford told residents on Wednesday to “stay tuned” and urged them to refrain from gathering over the Easter weekend.

“You’ll hear an announcement tomorrow,” he said, without providing further details. “I’m very, very concerned to see the cases go up.”

Ontario reported 2,333 new cases of COVID-19 Wednesday and 15 more deaths linked to the virus.

Those figures follow weeks of rising case counts as more contagious variants of the virus spread across the province.

Article content

The province also hit a new high Wednesday for the number of COVID-19 patients in intensive care units.

Critical Care Services Ontario counted 421 hospital patients with COVID-related critical illness as of midnight.

Ford urged people to be “vigilant” in light of those figures.

“Don’t gather in large groups,” he said. “Follow the protocols of the chief medical officer and we’ll be able to get through this and we’ll be able to get more vaccines into people’s arms.”

1:30 p.m.

Quebecers are among the least comfortable attending family gatherings, poll suggests

As the Easter long weekend approaches, a majority of Canadians say they feel unsafe attending family gatherings with such feelings especially pronounced in Quebec, British Columbia and Ontario, according to a Léger survey for the University of Manitoba and the Association for Canadian Studies.

Article content

Sixty per cent of Quebec respondents said they do not feel safe at or are not engaging in family gatherings.

And 70 per cent of Quebecers toll pollsters that they often limit contact with people at higher risk, such as elderly relatives.

1:10 p.m.

Tam offers Easter advice

Dr. Theresa Tam, Canada’s chief public health officer, today offered advice for the Easter long weekend:

“I encourage everyone to plan ahead, think about the risks, and decide together on how to celebrate safely during the holidays, as we have done for many other occasions during COVID-19.

“Limiting in-person gatherings to your immediate household and avoiding non-essential travel are still the safest way to celebrate.

“Virtual events, such as dinners and egg hunts, or a physically distanced doorstep gift exchange are just a few ways to stay socially connected while still maintaining important traditions.

Article content

“Remember to include layers of individual public health practices as part of the planning – until we know more about the vaccine’s ability to prevent transmission, this remains important for everyone, regardless of vaccination status.

“And finally, check with your local public health authority to find out more about the measures in place to keep your family, friends and community safer this holiday.”

1 p.m.

Families reach $5.5-million settlement in lawsuit against Résidence Herron CHSLD

From The Canadian Press:

Lawyers representing families of a Montreal-area long-term care home devastated during the pandemic’s first wave say they’ve reached a $5.5-million settlement with the facility’s owners.

The Résidence Herron CHSLD was particularly hard hit during the first wave of COVID-19, with 47 deaths at the Dorval, Que., facility.

Article content

A judge will need to authorize the agreement, with a court date scheduled for April 30.

Lawyer Arthur Wechsler says six months after a judge’s approval a claims process will take place, with a goal of wrapping up payments to class action members by the end of 2021.

Wechsler says there were about 134 residents at the facility in April 2020 when the class action was filed.

The settlement would be distributed to any surviving spouses or children of the residents who died and to any residents who didn’t pass away.

The Crown is weighing whether to lay criminal charges.

12:25 p.m.

‘No way they can downplay that risk’: AstraZeneca shots could test Canadians’ vaccine hesitancy

The nurse was 49-years-old, and seemingly perfectly healthy, when she received her first dose of the AstraZeneca COVID vaccine in mid-February.

Article content

Eleven days later she was dead, a victim of a rare blood clotting disorder that has regrettably popularized a new pandemic acronym — VIPIT — one that risks rattling confidence in vaccines, the only ultimate path out of COVID-19.

Read our full story.

11:50 a.m.

Several regions see a rise in cases

These charts show the number of daily cases per region for the past 10 days.

11:20 a.m.

Updated charts: Quebec cases, deaths

11:20 a.m.

Update on Quebec’s vaccination campaign

11:20 a.m.

Update on variants in Quebec

11:10 a.m.

Quebec reports 9 deaths, 1,025 infections – highest case count in seven weeks

Quebec has recorded 1,025 new cases of COVID-19, the provincial government announced this morning.

That’s the highest case count since Feb. 13.

Article content

In addition, nine new deaths were reported, including three over the previous 24 hours.

The other deaths occurred between March 24 and 29.

Some other key statistics from Quebec’s latest COVID-19 update, published this morning:

Since the beginning of the pandemic, Quebec has reported 311,091 cases and 10,667 deaths linked to COVID-19. A total of 291,906 people who have contracted the disease have since recovered.

Article content

10:20 a.m.

Pandemic preparedness: federal ministers and Ontario premier make announcement

Article content

10:15 a.m.

At 5 p.m. press conference, Legault expected to announce crackdown in orange zones

Premier François Legault and Health Minister Christian Dubé have scheduled a 5 p.m. pandemic press conference.

He is expected to announce a crackdown in orange zones, Philip Authier reports from Quebec City.

Yesterday, he said he was concerned about the alarming rise in cases in five regions — Outaouais, Capitale-Nationale, Chaudière-Appalaches, Saguenay—Lac-Saint-Jean and Bas-Saint-Laurent.

Stay tuned – I’ll have a live feed and live coverage here.

10:10 a.m.

Major outbreak: Health officials shut down Quebec City gym: report

Quebec health officials shut down the Méga Fitness Gym 24h in Quebec City after an outbreak that has so far affected almost 70 people, Le Soleil is reporting.

Article content

10:05 a.m.

Friday evenings and weekends: Montreal extends downtown free-parking incentive

Article content

10 a.m.

There are now 18 vaccination clinics in Montreal

Mayor Valérie Plante this morning tweeted this updated list of vaccination clinics on Montreal Island.

9:55 a.m.

Conditions at CHSLDs were ‘bordering on inhumane,’ Quebec coroner says

Many seniors who died in long-term care homes were in conditions considered to be “deplorable, negligent and bordering on inhumane,” a Quebec coroner said.

Coroner Géhane Kamel made the comments during Tuesday’s hearings at the public inquiry looking into deaths at several long-term care homes and seniors residences in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak.

Read our full story.

9:50 a.m.

English school boards must resume in-class teaching, Roberge orders

Education Minister Jean-François Roberge is ordering Quebec’s English school boards to resume full-time teaching in classrooms in their high schools.

Article content

Read our full story, by Philip Authier.

9:40 a.m.

Meanwhile in Ontario

Article content

9:30 a.m.

COVID worry is rising in Canada, poll suggests

Article content

9:25 a.m.

60-year-olds in Laval, Abitibi eligible for COVID-19 vaccinations

The Laval and Abitibi-Témiscamingue regions of Quebec now allow people 60 years old to be vaccinated against the coronavirus.

Read our full story.

9:25 a.m.

Pfizer vaccine safe, effective on 12-15 years olds in trial, companies say

Pfizer and BioNTech today said their COVID-19 vaccine was safe and effective and produced robust antibody responses in 12- to 15-year olds.

Read our full story.

9:25 a.m.

Dollard becomes newest mass vaccination site in West Island

The opening of a new COVID-19 mass vaccination site in Dollard-des-Ormeaux is giving a boost to local vaccination efforts in the West Island.

Read our full story, by John Meagher.

Article content

9:25 a.m.

Analysis: Quebec gaining on Ontario in variant cases

Quebec appears to be gaining on Ontario in the number of confirmed COVID-19 variant cases as it reported an increase of 429 such cases on Tuesday, an analysis of the latest data by the two provinces suggests.

Read our full story, by Aaron Derfel.

9:25 a.m.

Opinion: Laissez-faire fatalism seems to have infected Legault

“Laissez-faire fatalism seems to have suddenly infected Premier François Legault as Quebec confronts a third wave of the coronavirus pandemic. Last week, we were fighting the good fight to hold it off. This week, Quebec is clearly in the throes of it. But a defeatist tone has crept into the discourse of the authorities mounting the battle.”

Article content

Read the latest column by Allison Hanes.

9:25 a.m.

Canadian economy set to roar back after pandemic restrictions lifted: conference board report

The Canadian economy is poised for a sharp rebound this year and next after a year of pandemic restrictions, but a “red hot” housing market fuelled in part by government-funded household savings could still hamper growth, a new report says.

The Conference Board Of Canada expects the Canadian economy to grow 5.8 per cent in 2021, the highest since 2007 when a global commodities boom sent Canadian GDP rocketing up to 6.8 per cent.

Read our full story.

9:15 a.m.

Everything you need to know about getting COVID-19 vaccinations in Quebec

Local health authorities have set up mass vaccination sites across Montreal.

Article content

You can book appointments via the Clic Santé website or by phone at 1-877-644-4545.

Here are the nuts and bolts of getting vaccinated, by Katherine Wilton. Her guide includes the age groups targeted, how to book appointments, and addresses of vaccination centres.

Wondering if the vaccines are safe? Once vaccinated, can you disregard public health measures? Is vaccination mandatory? Read our FAQ, by Jason Magder.

Article content

9:15 a.m.

Here’s where Montrealers can get tested today

Montrealers can be screened at test centres across the island.

You can check screening clinic wait times here.

8:45 a.m.

The situation across Canada

Here’s the rate of case growth per 100,000 people over the past seven days, via the federal government’s latest epidemiology update.

8:30 a.m.

Sign up for our free nightly coronavirus newsletter

Stay informed with our daily email newsletter focused on local coronavirus coverage and other essential news, delivered directly to your email inbox by 7 p.m. on weekdays.

You can sign up here.

ariga@postmedia.com

Read my previous live blogs here.