The total number of positive novel coronavirus cases since the start of the pandemic is now at 226,233 cases, while the total number of deaths has risen to 8,647. The deaths include 12 in the past 24 hours, reports CTV Canada News.
Montreal continues to be the epicenter of the pandemic in Quebec, while the total caseload for the province accounts for more than one-third of Canada’s COVID-19 infections.
Even with a lockdown in place over the recent holidays, coronavirus cases continued to spiral out of control. The surge of cases forced Quebec’s Premier, François Legault to issue the curfew order on Wednesday. The curfew runs from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. ET and allows for an exception for people who are working. Pharmacies and gas stations can remain open. The fines are steep: $1,000 to $6,000 for curfew-breakers.
Quebec Public Security Minister Geneviève Guilbault said Thursday that police will have the power to issue tickets to people caught violating the curfew order. Emphasizing that this measure is aimed at reducing private gatherings, Guilbault said that now is the time for Quebecers to co-operate to help break the second wave.
In a tweet earlier Saturday, Premier François Legault addressed the Province, saying: “I am speaking to the entire Quebec nation. I need each and every one of you. We need a collective effort, from everyone, for a month.”
Je m’adresse à l’ensemble de la nation québécoise.
J’ai besoin de chacune et de chacun d’entre vous.
On a besoin d’un effort collectif, de tout le monde, pendant un mois.Voici ma déclaration: pic.twitter.com/3v8CFzPOXZ
— François Legault (@francoislegault) January 9, 2021
Resistance to the curfew
Civil libertarians are already expressing their distaste for the curfew, reports The Globe and Mail, arguing that curfews are seen as a serious restriction on an individual’s liberty.
Joanna Baron, executive director of the Canadian Constitution Foundation, an advocacy group, said poor and racialized minorities are more likely to do shift work and therefore are more likely to be stopped by the police, even if they fit within exceptions to the curfew.
“Police are going to be asked to enforce it and it’s going to inevitably lead to more arbitrary detention. Needless to say, we find it very worrying,”{ said Baron.
Michael Bryant, executive director of the Canadian Civil Liberties Association, argues that curfews are usually used by law enforcement as a bail or probation condition, and are meant to restrict civil liberties. Bryant also said he wanted to know what data Quebec was using to show the curfew was necessary.
Record high 3,127 new COVID-19 cases in Quebec pic.twitter.com/dazuf2xGjH
— Montreal Gazette (@mtlgazette) January 9, 2021
As for the data, every single day, the number of cases and number of deaths in the province are reported in all the news sites, so that is a waster question on Bryant’s part.
Public-health officials are saying the coronavirus is spreading through social contact and people are becoming less cautious about physical distancing and wearing masks, particularly young adults.
“The civil liberties concern is that a new liberty low is being reached here and it will put political pressure on others to do the same,” said Bryant. And indeed, Ontario Premier Doug Ford said a curfew could be on the table for the province.
Majority of Canadians in recent poll support stricter COVID-19 lockdowns, hefty fines for rulebreakers January 9, 2021
Protests against curfew
Several groups are already planning to hold protests across the province, including one in Montreal that is expected to start at 7:30 p.m. tonight and last far into the evening, well after the curfew goes into effect.
In a statement posted to social media, the group responsible for planning the gatherings called for the end of the “state of emergency,” writing that they stand “against curfews and abusive measures.”
As of Friday afternoon, at least 300 people had said they would attend one of the protests that span 15 cities in Quebec, including Quebec City, Sherbrooke, and Trois-Rivières.
It should be noted that demonstrations are still allowed by the province, however, they must take place before 8 p.m., and attendants must wear masks.
