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

• Quebec reported 656new caseson Tuesdayand fourmore deaths.
• Since the start of the pandemic, there have been303,707confirmed cases and10,618people have died.
• There are519 people in hospital (an increase of six), including 113in intensive care (an increase of one).
• 26,040doses ofvaccine were administered on Monday for atotal of 993,102sinceDec. 14.

Premier Franois Legault is asking Quebecers to stay the course for the foreseeable future.

He said COVID-19 cases have stabilized of late, which proves the measures the province has put in place are working.

But in order to stave off a third wave, people need to continue following the rules, he said.

He also warned people in the Outaouais and SaguenayLac-Saint-Jeanregions to reduce their contacts. Both those areas have seen an increase in cases over the last few daysand are on the verge of becoming red zones.

He announced that as of Monday, Secondary 3, 4 and 5 students who live inred zoneswill be able to attend school in-person full time. Right now, they alternate daily between being at school and online learning.

As of yesterday, their counterpartsin orange zones returned to full-time in-person schooling.

Dr. Horacio Arruda, the province's public health director, said there is a risk of outbreaks in schools, but they can be contained. The decision is about trying to strike a balance, he said.

"We think there arehigher risks of problems with staying at home, failing school and mental health [compared] to the risk" of outbreaks, he said.

Starting tomorrow, dining rooms can reopen in seniors' homes where at least 75 per cent of residents have been vaccinated. The premier said the vaccines have to have been givenat least three weeks ago.

On the vaccination front, by day's end, more than one million shots of COVID-19 vaccines will have been administered in the province.

Montrealers over the age of 60 can now register for a shot and that includes the premier.Legault said he will get his shot Friday in Montreal.

'Light at the end of the tunnel' not enough to ease restrictions, Legault says

3 years ago

Duration 0:30

He knows people are tired of confinement, but Premier Franois Legault says people cannot let down their guard for a few more weeks until the most vulnerable are vaccinated.

Top COVID-19 stories today

• After a difficult year on the job, this paramedic is finding ways to cope with stress.
• The governmentwill face hurdles in its attempt to vaccinate nearly every Quebecer by June 24.
• Montreal clinic hopes to find answers for COVID 'long haulers'
• Gyms and spas to reopen in COVID red zonesbut don't expect your spin class to resume.
• The province's physicians and nurses say government needs to tighten screws on private CHSLDs.
• AstraZeneca says its vaccine review found no evidence of increased blood clot risks.
• The Canada-U.S. border's been shut down for a year and there's no reopening plan.