“In Montreal, the situation is not under control. We are all worried.”

In this afternoon’s daily briefing, Premier François Legault addressed the COVID-19 situation in Montreal in light of a pessimistic study published by the INSPQ on Friday. He said that the planned reopening of Montreal elementary schools, daycares and businesses on May 25 may be postponed again depending on how the rate of infection and number of tests progress.

“In Montreal, the situation is not under control. We are all worried,” Premier Legault said. “It is not impossible that (the reopening of businesses) will be even pushed to later, that schools in the greater Montreal area will only open in September. We are going to be following science, we are going to be following results. We are not going to be taking any risks. If the situation is not under control in Montreal, we will delay the opening of businesses, schools and daycare centres. We are all in agreement with that, at all levels of government.”

Legault added that the numbers of daily tests and of frontline medical staff returning to work full time in Montreal has increased since last week, which is a positive sign. He also noted, however, that out of the 85 COVID-19 deaths in Quebec yesterday, 82 happened in the greater Montreal area. ■

For the latest news about COVID-19 / Coronavirus in Montreal and Quebec, including the current number of deaths per day, please visit the Santé Quebéc website.

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About Cult MTL

Cult MTL is a daily web and monthly print publication focusing on Montreal music, arts, culture and city life. Along with interviewing local and visiting artists, promoters and entrepreneurs, we feature analysis and criticism by our editorial staff and crew of columnists and freelancers, compile comprehensive event listings, curate a daily To-Do List and run the annual Best of MTL readers poll.