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

• Quebec reported1,683new caseson Friday and eightmore deaths.
• Since the start of the pandemic, there have been323,094confirmed cases and10,726people have died.
• There are 569people in hospital (an increase of three), including 134in intensive care (an increase of two).
• 69,148 dosesofvaccine were administered in the last 24 hours for atotal of 1,754,749sinceDec. 14.

There are only a few days left beforethe overnight curfew in Montreal and Laval is moved up from 9:30 to 8 p.m.

The new curfew kicks in on Sunday night.

Premier FranoisLegaultsays the caseload in Montreal and Laval has remainedstable, but he also says a surge in cases is inevitable and the earlier curfew will help mitigate it.

Elsewhere in Quebec, the province is extending emergency measures in several municipalities until April 19.

Restaurant dining rooms, gyms, hairdressers and other non-essential businesses will remain closed inQuebec City, Lvis and Gatineauas well as towns in the Chaudire-Appalaches region. The curfew in those places is also set at 8 p.m.

Chronically ill, essential workers eligible for vaccine

As of today, school staff, daycare workers, police, prison guards and other essential workers who work in Montreal will be able to make appointments on the Clic-Sant website, while people age 60 and younger who have high-risk chronic illnesses and receive treatments or consult their doctors in hospitals will be vaccinated as of Monday.

Health Minister Christian Dubsaid in a tweet that69,148 vaccine doses were administered Thursday, by far a record number for the province. Dub said more than 16,000 of those shots were of the AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine, which have beenmade available at nearly two dozen walk-in clinics across the province.

The Health Ministry issued a document Thursday clarifying what qualifies as a chronic illness or underlying condition.

Since yesterday, Quebecers over the age of 55 were also eligible to getthe AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccinewithout having to schedule an appointment.

New mask rules

Also asof yesterday, peoplewho work indoors will have to wear a procedure mask virtually at all times while on the job, including when they are sitting at their desks.

The province's workplace health and safety board (CNESST) issued the directive based on the threat of COVID-19 variants. The only exceptions are situationswhere masks jeopardizea person's health and safety, or their ability to learn because someone's lips are covered.

Even with masks, the CNESST is urging workplaces to make sure a two-metre distance between employees is maintained.

Travel restrictions

Quebecalso moved to limit travel to and from the regions less affected by COVID-19. As of today, most people living in orange and red zones are prohibited from travelling toyellowand green zones and face fines if they don't comply.

There are eight specific exceptions, including people travelling for medical reasons, commercial transportation, and people who need to take care of a primary or secondary residence.

Five regions are currently in green oryellowzones, including Nunavik, the Cree territories of James bay, the North Shore, northern Quebec, and the Gasp-Magdalen Islands.

Top COVID-19 stories today

• Quebecers 55 and over jump at the chance to get AstraZeneca vaccine without appointment.
• Province pulls the plug on Montreal gyms after only 12 days, but experts say it had to be done.
• Authorities are struggling to get rural Quebec residents to follow public health rules.
• COVID-19 shots for school? What needs to happen to get kids in Canada immunized.
• What's behind Quebec's targeted approach to the 3rd wave, and could it work?
• VIDEO |Essential but forgotten? Youth who toil in grocery stores, cafs and restaurants feel the strain.
• Residents in Quebec's COVID-19 hot spots were caught off guard by new restrictions.