Quebec has 43,627 confirmed cases of COVID-19, and 3,596 people have died. That is an increase of 707 cases and 34 deaths from a day earlier.
Retail stores in the Montreal area will be allowed to reopen on May 25.
Daycares in the greater Montreal area will reopen on June 1, though spaces will be limited.
Montreal had a beautiful long weekend and despite pleas from officials not to flood parks, many without elsewhere to go did just that, soaking up the sun in the city’s green spaces.
The province’s guidelines have been a source of some confusion, though. They state people can gather outside as long as they stay two metres apart.
But public health officials, like Montreal Public Health Director Dr. Mylène Drouin, are urging people to avoid holding large outdoor gatherings.
On Monday, Drouin called on the Quebec government to clarify what’s allowed.
“It would be desirable to specify a maximum number of people who can gather outside while respecting the two-metre distance,” she said in a statement to CBC News.
Child protection waiting lists going down
The wait for youth protection services in Quebec is at a historic low, and junior health minister Lionel Carmant says credit should go to the government’s recent $65 million investment into the system.
But experts and union officials believe the decrease is more likely due to the pandemic, which has closed many of the usual facilities where children in need of help are identified.
Other info you should know
Wearing gloves can give you a false sense of security, say public health officials, who recommend hand-washing as a safer way for everyday people to protect themselves against the novel coronavirus.
The push for a greener economy on the other side of COVID-19 restrictions is growing. A group of environmental, financial and political figures want Canada to come up with a recovery plan focused on emissions-reducing and sustainable projects.
