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

The latest:

• Quebec has 39,931 confirmed cases of COVID-19, and 3,220 people have died.
• There are 1,876 people in hospital (an increase of 35) and 194people in intensive care (an increase of eight).Here's a guideto the numbers.
• Students can apply for COVID-19 emergency aid beginning Friday.
• Starting May 20,individual, non-contact sports canresume across the province.
• Travel restrictions to Quebec's North Shore have been extended to May 31.

If you're itching to play sports, the wait is almost over.

Starting May 20,individual, non-contact sports tennis, golf, cycling, track and field, fishing and boating, for example canresume across the province, even in the Montreal area.

Isabelle Charest, Quebec's junior education minister, said she understands that people miss team sports, and the province is looking at ways to allow modified versions of these activities.

Read more onthe plans to allow some sports to resume.

Falling short of testing targets

Premier Franois Legault acknowledged the province hasn't met its testing targets.

He said the province is still conducting 9,000 tests a day, which is well below the target of 14,000.

"I'm not happy. I've told the responsible people that we have to reach the 14,000 a day [target] in the next few days," Legault said at his daily briefing.

He also urged Quebecers, once again, to follow social-distancing guidelines and wear a mask outside.

WATCH | The premier explains why wearingmasks isn't mandatory:

Why are masks not mandatory in Quebec?

4 years ago

Duration 1:39

Premier Franois Legault says before masks can be made mandatory, they have to be accessible to everyone.

Montreal's 'fragile' situation

Late last week, theInstitut national de sant publique du Qubec (INSPQ) published new predictions showing what may happen in Montrealonce physical distancing measures are eased.

It found that the current deconfinement plan in Montrealcould lead to 150 deaths per day by July, without taking long-term care into account.

There's still so much uncertainty surrounding the illness and its spread. What is clear, the lead researcher for the Montreal projections said, is that"we're in a fragile situation."

• More:Understanding the bleak predictions for Montreal

Montral-Nord still needs more testing

On Tuesday, Public Health Director Dr. Horacio Arruda blamed the lack of testing in the province partly on a lack of people seeking out the tests in some of Montreal's hard-hit areas.

But the mayor of Montral-Nord where there is the highest number of cases per 100,000 people says people have been showing up, despite confusion caused by the Quebec government.

Christine Black said in a statement late Tuesday evening she was shocked by Arruda's comments.

Black refuted that idea, noting a walk-in testing clinic at the CLSC on Lacordaire Boulevard was set to close Monday until the government announced, at the last minute,that it would stayopen until mobile testing units were set up in the area.

• More: Montreal works to increase testing in hard-hit areas

Other info you should know

Allophones and anglophones are much more likely to fear that they or somebody in their immediate family will catch COVID-19than francophones are, according to asurvey conducted by Lger Marketing.

A growing number ofhospitals outside the Montreal area, which haven't been designated to take on COVID-19 patients, are dealing with outbreaks.

Montreal is trying to ramp up testing in the city. If you are showing symptoms, this is where you can get tested.