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The Government of Quebec has revoked its decision on gatherings over the Christmas holidays in the province, in view of the sudden rise in COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths in the last few days.
Accompanying Health Minister Mr. Christian Dube and the province’s director of public health Dr. Horacio Arruda, Premier Francois Legault has made the announcement at a press conference on Thursday (Dec 3) that gatherings in the red zones that have been hit hard by the pandemic in most parts of the province will be completely banned during the Christmas holidays.
“When we look at the situation, we are forced to realize that it is not realistic to think that we are going to succeed in reducing the progression of the virus in a satisfactory way by Christmas,” Premier Legault said.
The Premier said that there is an exception only for people who live alone. They will be allowed to receive one visitor at a time, but they both require wearing face masks and maintaining the social distance. However, except the nursing staff, visits to the province’s long-term care homes and senior citizens’ residences will be prohibited.
In one week, Quebec broke the record for the highest rise in number of COVID-19 cases in a single day. The current record is set on December 2 at 1,514 and the province reported more than 1,400 cases on December 3.
Initially, the province had allowed Christmas gatherings between December 24 and December 27, which could accommodate up to 10 people only, but later clarified that only two gatherings will be allowed during the four-day period.
Thursday’s announcement will not affect the school’s plans and classes will still be continued remotely in the last week before the break. People living outside the red zone are allowed to gather, but Premier Legault emphasized that they should also proceed with caution and keeps the gatherings small: the yellow zone can accommodate up to 10 people and the orange zone can accommodate up to 6 people.
Dr. Horacio Arruda, the province’s director of public health, said that although measures have been taken to contain the spread of the virus since October, the virus is still spreading widely in the community. Now, the goal is to prevent the situation from getting out of control during the winter, on the grounds that the crisis is spreading in parts of the United States and elsewhere.
In recent days, medical staff and experts in Quebec have become increasingly concerned about the possibility of people gathering leading to the further spread of the virus. Emergency rooms in many areas including Montreal, Laval, Quebec City, the Laurentian Mountains and the Lanadiere region have already begun operations, and have far exceeded their capabilities.
The province announced no other new measures on Thursday, although the number of police officers in malls and shops will increase starting December 4, 2020.
