In his latest press conference, Quebec Premier François Legault has announced that as of Monday the curfew has been lifted and that schools are reopening. In the midst of the biggest blizzard of the year however, Mother Nature had other plans about the return to school on Monday, as buses were cancelled and schools were closed.

Other announcements by the Quebec Government include the reopening of retail businesses and the reopening of businesses on Sundays as of Jan. 23, 2022.

As of Jan. 24 vaccination passports will be mandatory for access to businesses with a surface area of 1,500m² or more.

Legault has also announced a vaccination tax that will be applied to those refusing to get vaccinated. Though the details have not been worked out yet, Legault said the amount people would have to pay would be “significant”, or “more than $50-100.”

Hospitalizations across Quebec have peaked, according to the www.quebec.ca website. As of Jan. 17, 2022, the numbers are as follows:

5,400 new cases, bringing the total number of people infected to 801,153;

54 new deaths, for a total of 12,364 deaths;

3,381 hospitalizations, for an increase of 81 compared to the previous day;

286 people in intensive care, for an increase of 4 compared to the previous day.

Vaccination

80,519 doses administered are added, that is 75,667 doses in the last 24 hours and 4,852 doses before January 16, for a total of 16,482,677 doses administered in Quebec. Outside Quebec, a total of 260,794 doses were administered, for a cumulative total of 16,743,471 doses received by Quebecers.

As of Jan. 17 CISSSO listed the following statistics for the Pontiac area:

Alleyn-et-Cawood 5

Bristol: 12 (+3)

Bryson: 29 (+7)

Campbell’s Bay: 32 (no increase)

Chichester: 17 (+2)

Clarendon: 5 or fewer

Fort-Coulonge: 92 (+10)

Île-du-Grand-Calumet: 15 (+2)

L’Îsles-aux-Allumettes: 31 (+2)

Litchfield: 5 or fewer (no increase)

Mansfield and Pontefract: 155 (+18)

Otter Lake: 34 (+6)

Portage-du-Fort: 5 or fewer (no increase)

Rapide-des-Joachims 5 or fewer

Shawville: 80 (+3)

Sheenboro: 5 or fewer (no increase)

Thorne: 5 or fewer (no increase)

Waltham: 17 (no increase)

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