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

• On Wednesday, Quebec reported2,348people in hospital (a decrease of 32 from the previous day), including 171in intensive care (a decrease of seven fromthe previous day).
• The province reported 3,361new cases of COVID-19 and 31 deaths.
• Since the start of the pandemic, there have been 889,057*confirmed cases and 13,582people have died.
• The province also reported Wednesday a total of18,061,383doses of COVID-19 vaccines administered, including35,044in the last 24 hours.
• 91 per cent of the eligible population in the province (agedfive and up) have received one dose of the vaccine;85 per cent have received two doses, and 48per cent have received three doses.

Quebec's interim director of public health, Dr. Luc Boileau, said Wednesday he estimates at least two million and perhaps as many as 2.5 million Quebecers have been infected bythe Omicron variant of COVID-19 since the beginning of the fifth wave.

Speaking at a news conference, Boileau said if you include all previous waves,nearly half of all Quebecers have likely been infected with some form of COVID-19 since the pandemic began.

Boileau said he feels the time is right to loosen public-health restrictions, as announced yesterday by Premier Franois Legault, calling the move a "calculated risk."

However, he said, the vaccine passport and mask requirements will remain in place until at least March 14.

Gradual loosening of restrictions over next month

While home gatherings will be allowed without restrictions, public health officials willrecommend that those gatherings be limited to 10 people or members from no more than three different households.The measure come into effect on Saturday.

Restaurants will also be able to accommodatea maximum of 10 people per table.Bars will be allowed to reopen on Feb. 28 with capacity limits and some restrictions. Dancing will still be prohibited until March 14.

As of Feb. 21, all retail businesses will be allowed to reopen at full capacity. Places of worship will remain at 50 per cent capacity, but with a maximum of 500 people.

As of Monday, cinemas, theatres, concert halls and sports venueswere allowed to reopen at 50 per cent capacity or a maximum of 500 people (1,000 for outdoor events) and proof of vaccination is required for entry.

Mixed reaction from bars, health-care workers

News of Quebec's gradual reopening plan was met with mixed reaction from bar owners, as well as some health-care workers.

In less than three weeks, bars, which have been closed since Dec. 20, will be allowed to reopen at 50 per cent capacity, with last call for alcohol at midnight and a closing time of 1 a.m. Dancing and karaoke will remain banneduntil March 14.

Sergio Da Silva,co-owner of downtown Montreal bar and live music venueTurbo Has, worries the restrictionswill preclude his bar from drawing enough customers in time to stay afloat.

"Nobody wants to go to an empty bar. And a half cap bar looks like a boring, uninviting place."

WATCH | Almost all restrictions in Quebec lifted by march:

Almost all restrictions in Quebec to be lifted by March 14, Legault says

3 years ago

Duration 2:02

Calling it a 'calculated risk to learn to live with the virus,' Quebec Premier Franois Legault outlined a series of dates to lift COVID-19 restrictions, with almost all being eliminated by mid-March.

The CEO of Quebec's bar owner association says for some businesses, it will take three years to recover from the financial damage wrought by COVID, and bars need help.

Montrealinfectious diseasespecialist Dr. MatthewOughtonis still advising caution despite the relaxed measures. He says while he understands the importance of having dates for businesses to reopen,the province must prevent putting more strainon the hospital system and itsexhausted health-care workers.

"Although dates are convenient for people, viruses don't care about dates, and what you need to be doing is basing these kinds of decisions less on fixed dates, and more on sensible targets," he said.

Liberal MPcriticizesfederal handling of pandemic

Liberal Quebec MP Jol Lightbound says he's uncomfortable with the federal government's handling of the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, saying its pandemic response has become "politicized" and "divisive."

Pointing to more than a dozen developed countries that have started to do away with restrictions already, Lightbound said Tuesday it's reasonable to rethink Canada's COVID-19 approach as it becomes increasingly clear that the world will be dealing with this virus for years to come.

Lightboundsaid people who question existing policies should not be "demonized" by theirprime minister.

Top COVID-19 stories

• Community workers are keen to tackle Montreal's pockets of unvaccinated
• Quebec was among the first to test wastewater for COVID-19. Then it stopped funding the research
• Quebec announces plan to reopen restaurants, cinemas in coming weeks
• As Quebec moves to ease COVID-19 restrictions, daily death toll remains in double digits
• What to do if you think you have the Omicron variant