The Canadian province of Quebec announced Thursday a nightly curfew ahead of New Year’s Eve celebrations. as COVID cases skyrocket across the country.
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“Starting tomorrow (Friday) there will be a curfew from 10:00 PM to 05:00 AM “, announced the Prime Minister of Quebec, Francois Legault, in a press conference, adding that the measure is necessary to curb a rise in covid-19 that threatens to overwhelm hospitals. “It is an extreme measure for an extreme situation,” he argued.
Legault reported a recent doubling of hospitalizations and absenteeism for healthcare workers due to illness.
Anyone who violates the curfew could face a fine of up to C $ 6,000 (US $ 4,700).
Private parties in Quebec were also banned, and restaurants and other venues were ordered to close.
Also on Thursday, Ontario restricted concert and indoor sports venues to 50% capacity or 1,000 people, whichever is less, and authorized the fourth dose of the vaccine for nursing home seniors.
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Meanwhile, British Columbia canceled all New Year’s festivities, allowing only restaurant meals “no mixing or dancing,” according to a statement.
Quebec had previously imposed a curfew from January to May to curb the spread of covid-19, shortly after the discovery of the delta variant.
Canada hasn’t mandated a curfew of this scale since the Spanish flu outbreak a century ago, according to historians.
Earlier this week, Quebec decided to allow health personnel with COVID-19 and asymptomatic symptoms to continue working, fearing the collapse of the health system.
Canada has reported a record number of covid-19 cases in recent days, doubling from last week to more than 30,000 new infections on Thursday, derived from the omicron variant.
However, public health officials warned of a lack of data as the ability to test is overwhelmed.
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