Montreal mayor Valérie Plante announced earlier today that the city of Montreal has renewed its state of emergency in the face of the Omicron variant and the increasing number of COVID-19 case numbers in the province.
The mayor made the announcement at a virtual press conference from home while in isolation after testing positive for COVID-19 over the weekend.
"The state of emergency is an additional tool which we have that allows us to face with greater agility this period of instability that affects vulnerable people, merchants, businesses, and Montreal families," Plante wrote in a social media posts on Tuesday morning.
"The state of emergency will ensure the continuity of public services during the health crisis. For example, we will be able to purchase protective and screening equipment for essential workers in the agglomeration," continued the mayor's post.
"The state of emergency will also allow us to set up emergency shelter sites quickly, in order to support the health and social network."
The last time the city of Montreal declared a state of emergency was on March 27, 2020, and it ended 17 months later on Aug. 27, 2021.
On Tuesday, Quebec set a new single-day record with 5,043 new COVID-19 infections, with 1,455 cases recorded in Montreal. Public health has also added eight additional virus-related deaths over the past 24 hours. There are 415 people hospitalized in Quebec, an increase of 18 since yesterday.
Quebec Premier François Legault will outline the province’s next steps at a press conference on Wednesday.
“What guides us is the ability or not to treat sick Quebecers in the coming weeks. We will come back to you tomorrow with our decisions,” he wrote in a tweet on Tuesday.
