CALEB NICKERSONQUEBEC March 25, 2019
On Monday, Premier François Legault announced that all in-person businesses be shut down across the province until at least April 13, excluding essential services like gas stations, grocery stores and pharmacies, due to COVID-19. The decision was made because the virus has reached the community transmission stage, meaning that the majority of confirmed cases prior to the announcement had been people that had travelled abroad.
This comes on the heels of Education Minister Jean-François Roberge announcing on Sunday that schools, CEGEPs and daycares would remain closed until May 1. There will be no provincial exams this year. As of midnight on Sunday, the premier ordered all restaurants be limited to takeout and delivery only and also ordered shopping malls and salons to close. Construction businesses are included in the shutdown.
The provincial government has also banned all indoor and outdoor gatherings, and have given police the power to disperse people ignoring the directive. There are some exceptions, such as maintenance workers entering someone’s home for repairs.
Hydro Quebec has eased up demands for their customers’ bills and announced they will be halting service interruptions with the intent to provide relief to their clients “during these exceptional circumstances”.
As of Monday, customers unable to pay their electricity bills will no longer be penalized, as Hydro Quebec has stopped applying administration charges for these bills.
Furthermore, those who expect to have financial difficulties are offered to contact the electricity generation company, either on their website or by phone at 1 888 385 7252, to arrange a deferral of their payments.
These measures are coupled with the ones taken the week before, when Hydro Quebec announced it will not cut off power for residential or business clients unless maintenance work is necessary. This suspension of service interruptions has been put in effect from December 1 to the end of this month, but the March 31 deadline is extended until further notice.
