OTTAWA (Reuters) – Canada’s second most populous province of Quebec is shutting bars, gyms and casinos and ordered people on Monday to work from home to combat the rapid spread of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus.
Health minister Christian Dube said the province has a record 4,500 new cases of the coronavirus a day and urged Quebecers to cut down their personal contacts as the Christmas holiday season approached. The new measures will come into effect at 5 p.m. (2200 GMT) on Monday.
“The situation is critical … right now we are waging a war against the virus,” Dube told a virtual briefing, saying the health care system was very fragile.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Friday said a spike in cases of the Omicron variant was “scary,” while the country’s top medical official made clear the healthcare system could soon be swamped.
Dube said most schools would be shut down immediately until Jan. 10. Restaurants can only open from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. and all sporting events will be played behind closed doors.
(Reporting by David Ljunggren; editing by Grant McCool)
