Quebec Closes Schools, Bars and Gyms as COVID-19 Cases Rise | The Canadian News

Quebec is shutting down a number of industries, along with in-person learning in schools, on the rise in COVID-19 cases and an increase in hospitalizations.

Health Minister Christian Dubé announced that bars, cinemas, concert halls, gyms and spas will be closed from 5 pm on Monday.

Remote work, which was highly recommended, is now mandatory.

The restaurants, which began operating at half capacity Monday, can stay open between 5 a.m. M. And 10 p.m. M.

Sports performances, whether amateur or professional, will be held without spectators.

Schools will also be closed with the return to classroom classes scheduled for January 10, 2022. Classes for the first week of January will be held online. Primary schools, however, remain accessible until the Christmas holidays, as the distribution of rapid tests and the vaccination of children between the ages of 5 and 11 continues.

Quebec reported a record 4,571 new COVID-19 cases on Monday and a total of 397 hospitalizations related to the pandemic.

“We have already reached half our capacity for our COVID beds,” said Dubé. “And that’s not counting the increase in cases in the last 10 days.”

2:24Quebec closes schools, bars, gyms and more as COVID-19 cases rise

The health minister explained that it was not so much about the number of COVID-19 patients but about the personnel needed to treat them.

“What we want to avoid is delaying emergency care, surgeries,” he said.

In addition to the new measures, Dubé said that vaccination remains crucial to get the province out of this situation.

“We are lucky that so many Quebecers have agreed to receive their two doses, but we are faced with a new variant and that is why we have to go find a dose of protection,” he said.

Dubé said that two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine provide about 30 percent protection against the Omicron variant, while a third dose increases protection by up to 75 percent.

The province opened booster shots for people 65 and older on Monday, with 83,000 bookings registered after just a few hours.

The province hopes to make five tests available per 30-day period to all Quebecers aged 14 and over.

The distribution of rapid tests in pharmacies also began on Monday, with long lines and supplies running out quickly.

Dubé asked that parents who received rapid test kits through their children’s primary school or daycare not receive more kits from pharmacies so that everyone could obtain them.

He also repeated that rapid tests should only be used by people experiencing symptoms.

“This is really important to clarify that people using rapid tests need to be symptomatic for these tests to work properly,” Dubé said.

He added that many people are unnecessarily clogging testing centers by taking exams just so they can meet up for the holidays.

Dubé reiterated that people should seek to reduce their contacts.

While the 10-person limit for private indoor gatherings during the holidays remains in effect, Dubé would not make any promises.

Health officials will review the new model predictions Monday night, which could lead to further restrictions if necessary.

“We will have additional information and based on that … we will go back to making difficult decisions,” he said. “We don’t like that, but I think the only way to handle this crisis is to react as quickly as possible with the resources we have.”

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