Montreal Red zone curfew to be pushed to 9:30 p.m., reports say

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QUEBEC — Premier François Legault says he expects all Quebecers over the age of 16 who want to be vaccinated against COVID-19 to have a first dose by the Fête nationale holiday, June 24.

And with the increased number of vaccines now arriving, all Quebecers over age 65 will have their first doses by mid-April.

At a news conference to announce the easing of some restrictions — for the Montreal region the big news is the curfew will be moved from 8 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. starting Wednesday — Legault said he is pleased to say the number of new cases didn’t shoot up as a result of March break.

That means he is also able to announce concert halls in red zones will be allowed to open starting March 26. Houses of worship can increase their maximums from 10 to 25 persons starting March 26, but people have to wear masks at all times and respect distancing.

He said unlike concert halls, where much greater numbers are allowed because people tend to be strangers to each other, people in houses of worship tend to know each other well, which makes distancing more difficult.

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Bars and restaurants in red zones remain closed.

In orange zones, Quebec is authorizing a full-time physical return to the classroom of Sec. 3, 4 and 5 students starting March 22.

Three regions are being shifted into the yellow category, which means no curfew or limits on gatherings in homes. The three are Nord-du-Québec, the Côte-Nord and Gaspésie—Îles-de-la-Madeleine.

Legault, however, stressed that even if the curfew in red zones is being extended, given the arrival of Daylight Saving Time, that does not mean people can start holding private gatherings to see friends and family.

“We can take an evening walk, but indoor gatherings are still forbidden,” Legault said.

But Quebec’s decision to exercise caution in red zones is due to the rise of variants. Legault said projections now indicate they will represent half of all new cases in Quebec by the end of April.

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“If you follow things a bit, Italy is in the process of returning to a lockdown,” Legault said. “It’s the same thing in France, many cases. So the arrival of these variants, and the British one in particular, makes us fear a third wave.

“We want to go gradually (in easing restrictions). We have to stay prudent. The last thing we want is to go backward.”

On Tuesday, Quebec reported 561 new cases, the fewest since Sept. 23. Eight new deaths were reported. Quebec also added 179 new variants for a new cumulative total of 522.

Health Minister Christian Dubé also expressed his concern, but said public health seems to have the variants under control in Montreal and Laval, where they are most present.

The percentage of new variants cases remains stable at about 20 per cent, a number low enough to make inroads against the virus with vaccination.

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He said Quebec continues to increase its vaccination capacity — it hit 34,000 in a day Friday — but he conceded there have been some slowdowns lately because residents have more questions about the safety of the AstraZeneca vaccine.

Both he and Legault expressed complete confidence in AstraZeneca, with Dubé noting the refusal rate is marginal, around one or two per cent.

To date, 774,600 vaccines have been administered in Quebec, which represents 9.1 per cent of the population.

Dubé announced 1,000 more pharmacies in the red zone will start taking appointments in the week of March 29 and will begin administering doses the week of April 5. As more doses arrive, Quebec will ramp up vaccinations to 50,000-70,000 a day.

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In a press release, the government also announced people with a physical handicap or who are intellectually challenged or have autism will be allowed priority vaccinations. Some will get their doses at home.

The move appears to be in response to pressure from groups calling for Quebec to show more flexibility.

As for the kind of summer Quebecers can expect, Legault said it all depends on their respect for the rules.

“It’s good news but we don’t know how good,” Legault said.

“Right now, I would say we are at a plateau (of cases),” added director of public health Horacio Arruda. “A little plateau going downward.

“The area with the most risk, based on projections, is the Greater Montreal region and it is associated with variants due to the density of the population.”

pauthier@postmedia.com

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