Montreal (AFP)
The government of Quebec, the province hardest hit by the coronavirus pandemic in Canada, has not ruled out closing the bars due to an upsurge of cases in these establishments, the Premier of the Province François Legault announced on Thursday.
"I have concerns and at this time, we do not rule out closing the bars", three weeks after their reopening, said Legault during a press conference.
Quebec reported 142 new cases of coronavirus in the past 24 hours and nine new deaths on Thursday, a sharp increase from the average seen in previous weeks.
The Montreal Public Health agency, a city at the heart of the pandemic in Canada, has confirmed 45 cases in 14 bars in recent days.
Since the pandemic began in mid-March, Quebec has recorded more than half of the cases and two thirds of the deaths recorded in Canada, particularly in retirement homes, which have recorded more than 80% of the deaths.
The province, which seeks at all costs to avoid a second wave, tightened last weekend the rules in bars, after the appearance of cases in establishments.
These must now close earlier and can only accommodate 50% of their regular customers, in accordance with the two-meter distance rule.
At the call of Public Health, thousands of bar customers had to wait for sometimes five hours since the beginning of the week in Montreal to pass a screening test.
"If the government decided to close the bars, I would support this decision," said Montreal mayor Valérie Plante on Thursday.
Quebec has also imposed the wearing of masks in all businesses closed as of Saturday, the first province to do so in Canada. Legault warned that the measure would remain in place "for several months".
© 2020 AFP