Premier Francois Legault presented good news at the press conference on May 19, describing recent statistics as a milestone in the province’s fight against COVID-19. “The situation remains stable in our hospitals, the number of deaths continues to be lower than in the last few weeks, and we have the lowest number of new cases since April 11th”, Legault said. The 34 deaths recorded between this past Sunday and Monday is the lowest death statistic since April 12.
Quebec currently has 570 new cases, amounting to 44,197 overall, and has had 51 deaths today, amounting to a total of 3,687 since the beginning of the pandemic. There are currently 1784 people hospitalized, an increase of 13, and 180 people in intensive care, an increase of 1. Yesterday, 145 health-care workers returned to work, adding to the more than 600 workers who had already gone back to work over the past week. There are now 5,496 confirmed cases in the Montérégie, including 31 cases in the Haut-Saint-Laurent local health network (LHN), 295 in the Suroît LHN, 519 in the Vaudreuil-Soulanges LHN, and 696 in the Jardins-Roussillon LHN.
All of these circumstances are allowing for a stabilization in the COVID-19 situation province-wide. In response to these lower numbers, Quebec is planning to resume non-essential surgeries that had been postponed during the pandemic and to allow stores and daycares in the Montreal area to reopen as scheduled. Legault warned however that this good news does not dismiss the public health instructions that remain in place for the time being, “It’s encouraging, but it’s not time to let our guard down. The virus is still there, not only in Montreal, and we must continue to protect ourselves and to protect others. If the contagion restarts, we’ll have to put the brakes on re-opening and put Quebec back on pause.”
Canada, U.S. to extend border restrictions
While Quebec and other provinces are lifting closures and other restrictions, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced on May 19 that the Canadian-American border will remain closed for non-essential travel for another 30 days. The agreement between the countries was set to expire this Thursday. “This is an important decision that will keep people in both of our countries safe,” Trudeau insisted. It was also announced that the government will be extending the eligibility of the Canadian Emergency Business Account, otherwise known as CEBA. This program provides interest-free loans of up to $40K for small business owners. CEBA will now be broadening its requirements in terms of what kinds of businesses are allowed to apply, “If you are the sole owner/operator of a business, if your business relies on contractors, or if you have a family-owned business and you pay employees through dividends, you will now qualify”, Trudeau said.
This is especially welcome news for the agricultural industry, as many farmers did not qualify for the CEBA as initially announced. Those who still do not meet the expanded criteria will now able to apply for the Regional Relief and Recovery Fund (RRRF) as well.