In Canada, several regions close bars, cinemas and gyms due to covid

The province of Quebec announced Monday that it will close bars, cinemas, gyms and spas due to a record number of cases of coronavirus in the Canadian province. Sporting events will be closed to spectators.

The Minister of Health of Quebec, Christian Dubé, also said that restaurants must close at 22:00 every night. The new measures are in addition to last week’s decision to restrict restaurants and bars to 50 percent of capacity.

Starting Tuesday, elementary and middle schools will be closed for in-person learning until January 10, though the facilities will be used for vaccinations or to distribute rapid tests to students.

Spectators will not be allowed to attend professional or amateur sporting events, although the NHL’s Montreal Canadiens had already played a recent game before the empty stands. Remote work, which was previously recommended by the authorities, will now be mandatory whenever possible.

Montreal, Canada’s second-largest city, declared a state of emergency on Tuesday to fight the virus.

Other regions of Canada also take action

The province of British Columbia will close gyms, bars and nightclubs and will allow fewer people at the tables in restaurants and cafes during the Christmas period to reduce the spread of COVID-19, the Canadian provincial government said on Tuesday.

The temporary restrictions, which take effect on Wednesday and remain in effect until January 18, also include the a ban on all indoor social gatherings and events, and a 50 percent capacity limit for all concerts, sports games and theaters.

Coronavirus infections are increasing rapidly in Canada, with several of the 10 provinces reporting large jumps as the omicron variant replaces delta as the dominant variant.

“Covid-19 cases continue to rise at a worrying rate, and we must take stronger action to help protect the people of British Columbia and ensure that our health care system is there when people need it, “said the province’s health minister, Adrian Dix.

The neighboring province of Alberta, where cases are also increasing, said it would restrict assistance in places that can hold more than a thousand people to 50 percent of their capacity, a measure that will also apply to games of the National Hockey League and the World Junior Hockey Championship, which begins on December 26.

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