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COVID-19 in Quebec: What you need to know Tuesday

Starting on Monday, gyms will close in the greater Montreal area and older high-school students will only attend class in person on alternate days. All extracurricular school activities will stop. Those were among several new measures Premier François Legault announced at news conference Tuesday evening.

Gyms shutting down again in red zones, more vaccines becoming available

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As the weather gets nicer, this will be a more frequent scene in Montreal and across the province — people in parks, and police keeping a watchful eye on them. (Graham Hughes/The Canadian Press)
  • Quebec reported 1,168 new cases on Tuesday and four more deaths.
  • Since the start of the pandemic, there have been 318,532 confirmed cases and 10,701 people have died.
  • There are 514 people in hospital (an increase of 11), including 121 in intensive care (a decrease of two).
  • 39,816 doses of vaccine were administered in the last 24 hours for a total of 1,592,197 since Dec. 14. 

Gyms will close in the greater Montreal area and older high-school students will only attend class in-person on alternate days. All extracurricular school activities will stop.

Those were among several new measures Premier François Legault announced at news conference late Tuesday afternoon.

He said he was hoping the restrictions would prevent Montreal from seeing the exponential growth of new cases underway at the moment in Ontario and the Quebec City area.

"April will be a dangerous month," Legault said, describing the effort to keep contagious variants at bay while trying to vaccinate as many people as possible.

Also on Tuesday, Health Minister Christian Dubé said the province's vaccination campaign will be opened later this week to people with chronic illnesses and essential workers, including teachers, daycare workers and first responders.

Quebecers over the age of 55 will be eligible, starting Thursday, to receive the AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine. Dubé raised the possibility the vaccine could be available without appointment at certain sites.

He promised to provide more details about the vaccination effort at a news conference tomorrow at 11 a.m.

Here are some of the other new public health restrictions announced on Tuesday:

  • Starting Thursday, religious services in red zones will have their maximum capacity reduced from 250 to 25 people. They will be capped at 100 people in orange zones.
  • Starting Thursday, travelling from a red or orange zone to a yellow zone will be prohibited.
  • Starting on Monday, post-secondary education will be online only.

Top COVID-19 stories today

What are the symptoms of COVID-19? 

  • Fever. 
  • New or worsening cough. 
  • Difficulty breathing. 
  • Sudden loss of smell without a stuffy nose.
  • Gastrointestinal issues (such as nausea, diarrhea).  

If you think you may have COVID-19, the government asks that you call 1‑877‑644‑4545 to schedule an appointment at a screening clinic.  

To reserve an appointment for a COVID-19 vaccine, you can go on the online portal quebec.ca/covidvaccine. You can also call 1-877-644-4545.

Quebec government reminders for preventing the spread of COVID-19: 

  • Wash your hands frequently.
  • Avoid touching your face.
  • Wear a mask or face covering when physical distancing is not possible. Wearing a mask is mandatory in enclosed public spaces across the province.
  • Stay at least two metres away from other people as much as possible. 
  • Self-isolate for 14 days after returning from a stay outside the country.

You can find information on COVID-19 in the province here and information on the situation in Montreal here. 

 

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