Quebec restaurants may be spared, the curfew option has been scrapped

According to a report in La Presse, Quebec restaurants may be spared in the new public health restrictions that will be announced this evening at 6 p.m., and the curfew option that was considered yesterday has been scrapped.

The report suggests that private indoor gatherings will be the focus of the new announcement, with a reduction of the maximum capacity from 10 to 6 — but only after Christmas. The same limit of 6 people per table is also expected to be imposed on restaurants.

As the daily case count for COVID-19 in the province is breaking records yet again today, with 6,361, Quebec has called in the Canadian Armed Forces to assist with the rollout of booster shots.

“Omicron threatens the hospital capacity of Quebec. We must speed up the vaccination of Quebecers. I have formally requested federal government assistance from the Canadian Armed Forces and resources from other organizations able to assist with mass immunization.”
—Quebec Public Security Minister Geneviève Guilbault

Omicron menace la capacité hospitalière du Québec. Il faut accélérer la vaccination des Québécois. J’ai officiellement demandé au gouvernement fédéral l’assistance des @ForcesCanada et de ressources d'autres organisations en mesure de contribuer à la vaccination de masse.
— Geneviève Guilbault (@GGuilbaultCAQ) December 21, 2021

The closure of restaurants and implementation of a curfew may be off the table ahead of a 6 p.m. announcement of new restrictions for Quebec.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will be holding a press conference at noon today, and is expected to announce financial aid programs, according to the CBC.

This article was originally published at 8:57 a.m. and updated at 11:52 a.m.

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