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

• Quebec has 55,524 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 5,527 people have died. Since Monday, the government reported an increase of 66 new cases and 24 deaths.
• There are 422 people in hospital, including 33 in intensive care. Here's aguide to the numbers.
• Places of worship have reopened in the province with new regulations.
• CBC Montreal is collecting stories from Quebecers who have recovered from COVID-19. If you would like to share your experience, pleaseget in touch here.
• Having trouble keeping track of what has reopened?Consult our list.

Quebec's emergency rooms, relatively empty during the height of the pandemic, have filled up again, with many operating abovecapacity.

Wait times were manageable in recent months as many Quebecers stayed away for fear of being infected with COVID-19, said Dr. Simon-Pierre Landry, who works in an emergency room in Ste-Agathe-des-Monts and is a family physician in Mont-Tremblant, in the Laurentians.

Now, with casesdecliningand the province reopening, more people are heading to the ERwhen they need medical help, he said. Landrysaid it won't take much to tip the capacity scale in the average regional network if and when a second wave of COVID-19 hits.

• MORE: Laurentians doctor raises concerns over ER overcrowding in Quebec hospitals

Pandemic adds to moving day pressure

July 1 is moving day for many Montrealers, and the realities of the city's housing crisis are often more apparent as people are squeezed by perennially low vacancy rates and ever-rising rents.

The COVID-19 pandemic only makes the situation more difficult. Housing advocates say the pandemic has exacerbated the crisis, putting some people already struggling to cover their rent out of work.

Montreal Mayor Valrie Plante has promised to put people with nowhere to go up in hotels and store their belongings in municipal buildings if needed. So far, about 160 households have asked for assistance from Montreal's housing office.

• MORE: Montreal offers help to at least 160 households as moving day risks leaving them homeless

Masks to becomemandatory on public transit

As ofJuly 13, people will be required to wear a mask when taking public transit in Quebec.

PremierFranois Legaultsaid there will be a two-week grace period before authorities will begin enforcing the measure.

But, he added,there will be no fines for people who disobey the new rule, nor will police be specifically tasked with enforcing it.

• MORE: Masks mandatory on public transit in Quebec beginning July 13

Montreal's public transit agency said Tuesday it welcomed the rule, but said its employees did not have the capacity to ensure passengers wore masks at all times.