"It's clear if there are places where there are outbreaks we cannot control and there is transmission, we will have to do intervention," Arruda said. Horacio Arruda, Quebec's director of public health, said his biggest concern is about small outbreaks around the province that could cause the number of cases to rise before the arrival of what he expects will be a second wave of infection in the fall. "There is no question of permitting a minority of offenders to endanger Quebec's health and recovery."ĭr. that reopened bars, restaurants and beaches. "Obviously this is not a step we look forward to taking, but we only need to look across the border to see what is happening in some American states," Dube said, regarding a marked increase in the number of COVID-19 cases in several southern parts of the U.S. "If the rules are not respected, we will close your venue."
"Your responsibility is to ensure that public health directives are complied with," Dube said. His message to owners and managers of bars, night clubs, beaches, swimming pools and racing venues was a simple one. He added Quebec is also studying measures such as further limiting the occupancy of some venues and operating hours. "A setback would be a disaster for human lives and for our economy," she said.ĭube said the government is considering increasing the presence of police around places where people gather, such as bars and nightclubs. Plante said the outbreaks could undermine the city's efforts and could seriously hurt businesses trying to regain their footing after a prolonged closure due to the pandemic. "Our intention is that the wearing of face coverings will be mandatory in enclosed public places as of July 27, as is the case for public transit," Plante wrote in a social media post. Health officials are urging patrons who went to the bar on the South Shore of Montreal on the evening of June 30 between 8pm and closing to get tested. The empty patio of the Mile Public House bar is seen in Brossard, Que. The slight rise in infections in the Montreal area was worrisome enough for Montreal Mayor Valerie Plante, who said Monday that the city intends to make masks mandatory in all indoor public places. Julie Loslier, a regional health director, told Radio-Canada that some of the cases at the bar were tied to a cluster of 20 cases on Montreal's south shore.
The Mile Public House noted Monday the infected patrons hadn't yet been diagnosed and they didn't catch the virus at the restaurant.
"If the rules are not respected, we will close your venue." He didn't single out any bars or clubs, but local media published videos from some Montreal-area venues with crowded dance floors and little physical distancing.ĭube's warning came a day after health authorities urged people who ate at a restaurant last Tuesday on Montreal's south shore to get tested for COVID-19.