Curfew to go into effect in Quebec amid soaring COVID-19 case numbers across Canada

By The Canadian Press on January 9, 2021.

COVID-19 case numbers are continuing to soar in many parts of Canada as Quebec is set to become the first province to impose a curfew on its residents.

Premier Francois Legault announced earlier this week that Quebecers will have to stay home from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. in an effort to prevent people from gathering in defiance of public health guidelines.

The measures will last at least four weeks and apply to everyone except essential workers, people walking their dogs and a short list of other exceptions, with violators facing stiff fines.

The province broke the 3,000-case mark for the first time on Saturday, joining Ontario which has recorded such numbers for weeks.

Ontario has delayed the return to in-person classes in parts of the province to slow the spread, prompting the education minister to announce today that more workers would be eligible for free child-care.

And further east, New Brunswick is also reporting one of the highest single-day increases since the onset of the pandemic, with 30 new cases of COVID-19.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan 9, 2021