COVID-19 pandemic in Quebec

On March 16, the government of Quebec announced financial compensation to workers who returned from abroad that had been placed in segregation, and did not have access to employment insurance. The Programme d'aide temporaire aux travailleurs touchés par le coronavirus (PATT) paid $573 per week for two weeks.[36]

On March 20, the government of Quebec announced the suspension of interest on student loans as of April 1, 2020 for the next six months.[37]

Due to the economic impact of the pandemic, initiatives emerged to promote local purchasing, including the social media campaign #OnSeSerreLesCoudes ("We stick together")[38] and Panier Bleu—a government-run directory promoting Quebecois retailers that are offering online sales.[39]

On April 2, a salary bonus of 8% to all healthcare professionals on the front line and a bonus of 4% to the rest of the network's employees was announced by ministers Christian Dubé and Danielle McCann.[40] A salary increase of $4 per hour was also granted to the 34,000 beneficiary attendants for a period of 16 weeks.[41] On April 4, a bonus of 8% was also granted to the paramedics in the province.[42]

On April 3, Minister of the Economy Pierre Fitzgibbon announced $150 million in expenditure to help small and medium-sized businesses impacted by the pandemic.[43] Hydro-Québec announced that its executives are renouncing their salary increase for 2020 and that the bonuses and bonuses for 2019 will be paid later this year. In addition, Hydro-Quebec donated 125,000 protective masks to the Quebec government.[44]

In an interview with Gérard Filion of RDI Économie on April 16, the Minister of Finance, Éric Girard, predicted a budget deficit between $10 and $15 billion for the year 2020. The government had tabled its budget for the year 2020 on March 10, before the start of the pandemic. Its calculation was based on the assumption that 40% of the Quebec economy would be put on pause for a period of eight weeks, and that there would be an increase in health spending.[45]

On March 14, Premier Legault announced that the province would prohibit visits to hospitals and long-term care facilities. He also advised citizens over the age of 70 to avoid leaving their homes.[46][16]

On March 20, the Quebec government prohibited indoor gatherings and required for outdoor gatherings that a two-meter distance be kept between the people gathered, with some exceptions, such as for members of the same household.[47]

From May 22, the Quebec government restricted outdoor gatherings in private locations to a maximum of 10 people, but loosened the requirement to maintain a two-meter distance between the people gathered for it to apply "as much as possible" rather than at all times. It was recommended, but not required, that those ten people be from no more than three households. The lack of a maximum number of people and the requirement that the distance be kept at all times were maintained for outdoor gatherings in public locations.[48][49]

Since March 15, anyone who has left a health professional order, such as the Ordre des infirmières et infirmiers du Québec (in French), may begin practicing that profession again, without charge, as long as they have not been out of the order for more than 5 years, and are not over 70 years old.[50][51]

On March 31, Premier Legault warned of potential shortages of medical supplies within the next week, including personal protective equipment, and announced that Premier of Ontario Doug Ford had agreed to divert some of its shipments of medical equipment to the province.[52] The province of Alberta also announced on April 11 that they would be sending 250,000 N95 masks, 2 million procedural masks, and 15 million gloves to Quebec.[53]

On April 5, the Quebec government began to centralize the purchase of drugs, and sought to find an alternative drug for propofol, out of fear of a shortage.[54]

On May 5, Premier Legault revealed that 11,200 workers in the healthcare system were absent.[55] Two days later, that number had increased to 11,600.[56] Of the workers who were present, only 50% were working full-time.[55] The lack of full-time healthcare personnel in Quebec continues to be a problem, particularly in long-term care facilities.

As of April 1, 519 long-term care facilities in Quebec, including both lodging centres for long-term care (French: centre d'hébergement de soins de longue durée, CHSLD) and private seniors' residences (French: résidence privée pour aînés, RPA),[57] had at least one confirmed case of COVID-19.[58] As of April 30, a total of 6603 residents in CHSLDs and RPAs had been infected.[59] Nearly half of Quebec's deaths from the pandemic have occurred in long-term care facilities.[60]

CHSLD Sainte-Dorothee in Laval has had one of the largest outbreaks; on April 8, it was reported that at least 115 of its 250 residents had been infected, and that there had been at least 13 deaths.[61] The same day, Premier Legault announced that the province would deploy 500 nurses, 450 doctors, and more equipment to long-term care facilities in order to help reduce their burden.[61]

At least 150 cases have been connected to CHSLD Herron, located in the Montreal suburb of Dorval.[62] There were also reports of neglect and poor living conditions at the facility, with staff having deserted the facility since March 29, and health care workers describing it as being akin to a horror movie or a concentration camp, due to discovering unhygienic living conditions, and residents neglected for nourishment and personal hygiene.[62][63][64] On April 10, Health Minister McCann announced that an investigation would be launched into the facility, which had been placed under provincial trusteeship.[65][62][63]

On April 11, the province reported that there had been 31 deaths at CHSLD Herron over the last month, with at least five attributed to COVID-19. CIUSSS de l'Ouest-de-l'Île-de-Montréal (CIUSSSOIM) president Lynne McVey stated that the facility's owner was uncooperative, preventing authorities from obtaining the health records of its residents until April 8.[66] Quebec's coroner's office and the Montreal police are also investigating.[67]

That weekend, teams were sent to all 41 private CHSLDs in the province to evaluate their response to the pandemic.[68] On April 12, AELDPQ (an association representing Quebec's private CHSLDs) sent a letter to Minister McCann, accusing the province of breaking promises to increase funding for private CHSLDs, not displaying equal scrutiny towards public facilities, cutting off private facilities' procurement of personal protective equipment via provincial suppliers, and not providing promised emergency funding for them to purchase PPE (requiring them to cover their own costs).[68]

On April 13, Premier Legault presented findings from the evaluations, reporting that the "vast majority" of private CHSLDs were "very well managed," but that there were several that required further monitoring and that the province would now be inspecting all 2,600 CHSLDs. He admitted that pre-existing issues with under-staffing at the facilities due to low wages may have been exacerbated by the pandemic, and announced plans to give temporary bonuses to attendants and orderlies, pending negotiations with unions to raise wages outright.[69][70]

On April 14, Premier Legault announced that Quebec would allow residents of CHSLDs to receive visits from a pre-existing primary caregiver beginning April 16.[60] The same day, the owners of CHSLD Herron sent a letter to Legault accusing CIUSSSOIM of engaging in a cover-up, claiming that 28 of the deaths reported had actually occurred after the facility was placed under trusteeship on March 29, disputing that they had not allowed them access to health records until April 8, and that "no communication was made to the families of the residents by the representatives of the CIUSSSOIM, despite numerous requests made to that effect by the employees as well as members of the management of the CHLSD Herron."[71]

On April 16, the Montreal Regional Director of Public Health, Mylène Drouin, stated that outbreaks of COVID—19 had affected at least 75% of long-term care facilities in the city.[72] Two days later, the Canadian Armed Forces began to deploy 125 workers — including nurses and other support staff — to assist CHSLDs in managing the outbreak and augmenting staff.[73][74] On April 22, Premier Legault announced that the province had requested an additional 1,000 workers to "give us more resources to help us with non-medical tasks."[25]

On May 5, Premier Legault announced that some restrictions in uninfected RPAs would be lifted, allowing residents to go for walks unaccompanied and to meet with family outdoors, as long as social distancing measures were being respected.[75]

On April 1, border checkpoints such as this one on the Alexandra Bridge were implemented on the Ontario border.

As of March 16, the Montréal–Trudeau International Airport is one of only four airports across the country that is accepting international flights to Canada from outside the Caribbean, Mexico, and the United States.[76]

The Quebec government has advised against non-essential interprovincial travel. On March 28, regional access to the regions of Bas-Saint-Laurent, Abitibi-Témiscamingue, Côte-Nord, Saguenay—Lac-Saint-Jean, Gaspésie—Îles-de-la-Madeleine, Nord-du-Québec, Nunavik and Eeyou Istchee have been restricted by police roadblocks and airport controls.[77][78]

On April 1, security checkpoints were implemented in several municipalities in the Lanaudiere region, the Laurentians, La Tuque, and the Outaouais region (including the Ontario border), to restrict non-essential travel into the regions.[79][80]

Since March 15, all hearings before a judicial administrative court must be held behind closed doors, and all visits (except those of lawyers) to a detention facility in Quebec were suspended.[81] All decisions of the Régie du logement authorizing the resumption of housing or the eviction of the tenant were suspended.[82]

Since March 16, all appeals to be heard by the Supreme Court of Canada in March, April and May 2020 have been postponed to June 2020,[83] just as the hearings convened from March 16 to April 30, 2020 before the Quebec Access to Information Commission were canceled.[84]

Since March 19, orders made by the Court of Quebec that allowed children of the DPJ to maintain physical contact with their biological parents were suspended.[85]

Since March 20, individuals who served an intermittent sentence were on medical leave, and all deadline to introduce a case in front of the Tribunal administratif du Québec, the Tribunal administratif du travail, the Tribunal administratif des marchés financiers, or the Commission d'accès à l'information were suspended during the pandemic.[86]

From March 23 to April 24, 2020, all deadlines for civil procedures were suspended, and only urgent cases were heard before the Quebec Court of Appeal, the Superior Court of Quebec and the Court of Quebec.[87]

On April 1, the bar school of the province of Quebec postponed the final evaluation to May 25.[88]

On March 17, the City of Montreal declared a local state of emergency.[89] The original Royal Victoria Hospital building was converted into a homeless shelter for COVID-19 patients.[90][91]

On March 24, the city of Quebec laid off nearly 2,000 employees.[92] On April 4, more than half of municipal workers in Donnacona were laid off.[93] In Lévis, the city has laid off 353 temporary employees for three weeks. Saint-Augustin-de-Desmaures and L'Ancienne-Lorette have also laid off fifty employees.[94]

On April 5, Montreal closed the parking lots at Notre-Dame Island and Mount Royal Park in order to discourage public gatherings.[95][96]

On April 9, Rimouski announced that it is closing the Promenade de la Mer cycle path on the portion located between the Rimouski River and the Rue Saint-Germain Est.[97]

On March 11, Premier Legault recommended that a voluntary 14-day quarantine be imposed on all students and faculty returning from school trips to countries strongly affected by the pandemic (such as China and Italy), even if there are no signs of symptoms. He also cancelled upcoming trips to such locations.[98] The same day, students and staff members from several schools who had recently travelled to Italy were told to stay home.[99][100][101] Collège International Marie de France suspended classes, pending the testing of a student who was suspected to have been infected.[102] On March 13, the Université de Montréal cancelled all international teaching and research activities until the next school year.[103]

On March 13, Quebec ordered the closure of all schools, CEGEPs, and post-secondary institutions until at least March 27. Daycares were also ordered closed, unless serving the children of health care professionals.[104] On March 15, the government announced that it would offer free emergency childcare services for people working in essential services, with up to 60,000 spots available, using the up to 400 schools that the government had closed.[105] On March 16, the Université Laval, the Université de Sherbrooke, and the École de technologie supérieure transitioned to online classes.[103] Université Laval and Université de Sherbrooke established emergency funds for students impacted by the pandemic.[106][107]

On March 22, the school closures were extended to May 1.[108] On April 5, Quebec extended all closures relating to the pandemic through at least May 4.[34]

There were calls by the students of the Université du Québec system for the winter terms to be cancelled outright, with Trois-Rivières students circulating a petition also requesting that they receive credits without a grade.[109][110]

The province launched a website known as L'École Ouverte (Open School), which provides a collection of online education resources and activities in French and English.[33]

On April 20, Minister of Education Jean-François Roberge announced that the province's R score system (typically used by universities to help select CEGEP applicants) would be suspended for the winter semester, so that students are not "unfairly penalized" due to a lack of uniformity in responses and approaches by Quebec's CEGEP's.[111]

On April 27, Premier Legault announced that elementary schools and daycares would be allowed to reopen outside of the Montreal area on May 11, and within Montreal on May 18, if cases remain stable. Classes will be limited to 15 students each, and parents will be allowed to choose whether their children may return to classes. Secondary and post-secondary schools will not be re-opened until the next school year, to prevent overcrowding of public transit.[112]

On March 21, the provincial government awarded a $7 million grant to Medicago, a Quebec City-based firm that was developing a COVID-19 vaccine candidate.[113][114] On March 23, a team at the Montreal Heart Institute led by Jean-Claude Tardif launched a clinical trial exploring the use of colchicine to help treat complications of COVID-19.[114] The first results are expected for the month of June 2020.[115]

On March 26, the Fonds de Recherche du Québec, and the Génome Québec, established a provincial task force to build a biobank of COVID-19 samples, led by McGill University chair Vincent Mooser.[116] Mila, an artificial intelligence institute in Montreal, is developing contact tracing software for mobile phones.[117]

On March 12, Montreal and Quebec City cancelled their St. Patrick's Day parades (the former for the first time in its 196-year history).[118][119] The Montreal Symphony Orchestra cancelled concerts scheduled through May 24 (including a planned performance at New York City's Carnegie Hall).[120] All Grand Théâtre de Québec shows were cancelled through at least March 29.[14] Various festivals have been cancelled, including the Festival d'été de Québec,[121] Les Francos,[122] Metro Metro,[123] Montréal Complètement Cirque,[124] the Montreal International Jazz Festival,[122] and the Festival Santa Teresa.[125] Montreal's Just for Laughs comedy festival was postponed to late September and early October.[126] The Montreal Fireworks Festival was also cancelled.[127]

On April 7, Montreal ordered the cancellation of all cultural events, festivals, public gatherings, and sporting events through July 2 (resulting in the cancellation of local Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day and Canada Day festivities).[128] On April 10, Quebec requested that all cultural events, festivals, and sporting events be cancelled province-wide through at least August 31.[127]

The National Hockey League[129] and Major League Soccer[130] have suspended their regular seasons, affecting the Montreal Canadiens and Montreal Impact. With Major League Baseball suspending preseason play, the Toronto Blue Jays' annual preseason series at Olympic Stadium was also cancelled.[131] The QMJHL and the remainder of the Canadian Hockey League scrapped the remainder of the 2019–20 season (including all playoffs and the Memorial Cup) on March 23.[132] The 2020 World Figure Skating Championships, planned to be hosted by Montreal, were cancelled on March 11.[133] On April 7, Formula One postponed the Canadian Grand Prix.[134]

On April 11, Tennis Canada announced that the women's tournament of the 2020 Canadian Open would be cancelled, pursuant to the request by the provincial government; Montreal will host the 2021 women's tournament instead. The women's and men's competitions normally alternate between Montreal and Toronto.[135][136]

Other provincial sports bodies have also suspended activities, including Basketball Québec,[137] Baseball Québec (baseball activity suspended until at least May 1),[138] Hockey Québec (including the Quebec Junior Hockey League, which called off the remainder of the season),[139][140] and Soccer Québec (activity suspended until at least May 1).[141] Other local events that have faced cancellations include the Tour de l'Île de Montréal, and various footraces.[142][143]

On April 15, the organizers of the Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal and Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec — the two North American events on the UCI World Tour — stated that the events were still tentatively scheduled for September, but that they would continue monitoring the COVID—19 situation and working with UCI on the matter.[144]

On March 15, the Antonopoulos group — owner of many hotels and restaurants in Old Montreal — announced to its employees that several layoffs were expected.[145] Groupe Sportscene (owner of sports bar chain La Cage) laid off 2,200 of its 2,500 employees.[146] Cirque du Soleil announced the temporary layoff of 4,679 employees, representing almost 95% of its workforce.[147] On March 26, Cogeco Media announced that it would lay off 130 employees, representing a quarter of their workforce.[148] On April 6, CAE announced the layoff of approximately 2,600 employees, representing just over a quarter of their workforce.[149]

A citizen of Rivière-du-Loup was tested positive for COVID-19 on March 19,[150] and the first confirmed death in the region was an elderly citizen returning from travel, on March 25.[151] Regional roadblocks were set up to deny non-essential non-locals from entering the region on March 28. No new cases were reported in the region after April 10, with 28 of the confirmed 34 cases recovering, with two still hospitalized, by April 20.[152]

• On March 20, authorities revealed the first case of COVID-19 in the region. The person was a man under 40 who recently arrived from Europe to participate in the Regard festival. The man went to the launch of the festival on March 11, but he did not attend any projection according to the director general of the festival, Mariel-Élaine Riou.[153]
• As of March 28, regional roadblocks have been set up to deny non-essential non-locals from entering the region.
• On April 3, twelve new cases were confirmed, bringing the total to 44 for the region. According to the regional Director of Public Health, Dr. Donald Aubin, there were 7 cases in Lac-Saint-Jean and 37 in Saguenay. Chicoutimi was the most affected city with 21 cases.[154]

• As of April 20, 9 deaths were attributable to CHSLD de la Colline, where 42 residents and 46 employees contracted the virus. The other two came from "Antoniennes-de-Marie", a Saguenay religious community, which had a total of 34 cases.[155][156]

• On March 16, a student from Université Laval's Faculty of Law tested positive.[157]
• On March 20, a woman who tested positive for COVID-19 was arrested for breaking quarantine under the provincial Public Health Act, after being caught in Quebec City's Limoilou neighborhood.[17]
• On March 30, the first death in the Capitale-Nationale region was reported, with the patient being over 70 years old.[158]
• An outbreak of COVID-19 was reported among staff and patients of the palliative care department at the Jeffery Hale Hospital in Quebec City.[159]
• On April 19, 83 health workers who contracted the virus were reported in the Capitale-Nationale and Chaudière-Appalaches regions.[160]

• On March 11, the Ministry of Health and Social Services confirmed the first case of COVID-19 in Mauricie. According to an information officer at CIUSSS MCQ, the person is a woman who came back from a trip in France,[161] and worked for the Innovation et Développement économique Trois-Rivières (IDE).[162]
• On March 17, the Mayor of Trois-Rivières, Jean Lamarche, indicated in a live video broadcast on the City's Facebook page that the two new cases of COVID-19 in the region were an employee of the City and an employee of IDE.[163]
• According to Radio-Canada, the fourth case in the region was detected in Shawinigan on March 20. The CIUSS MCQ confirmed that The person had just returned from a trip.[164]
• On March 21, the fifth case in the region was listed. The person had traveled recently.[162]
• As of April 21, 105 residents of the CHLSD Lafleche, amounting to about 80% of the residents and 75 employees, have tested positive for COVID-19 along with 36 deaths, which was a quarter of the patients hospitalized. The number of cases at the residence amount for 40% of the 269 cases in Shawinigan.[165][166]

• On March 12, the director of public health in Estrie, Dr. Alain Poirier, confirmed the first case of COVID-19 in the region. The individual had recently traveled in Italy.[167] Hours later, the second case was confirmed. The person had also traveled recently.[168]
• On March 14, the Government of Quebec announced a third case in the region. According to the CIUSS de l'Estrie, the individual was not living in the region anymore, but had a street address in his name.[169] Therefore, it is unclear where this case is compiled.
• On March 15, another case was confirmed by Dr. Marie-Maud Couture, head of the emergency department of the Public Health de l'Estrie. The patient was related to one of the two cases of March 12.[170]
• On March 18, six new cases were confirmed in Estrie, bringing the total number of cases to nine in the region. According to Dr. Alain Poirier, these six new cases were connected to a trip to Austria.[171]
• On March 19, nine cases were confirmed in Estrie, bringing the total number of cases to 18 in the region. All new cases were people who had recently traveled, or had relatives that traveled, like their spouse or their child. Dr. Poirier said to La Tribune that "Basically, these are quite young people, who chose to travel during spring break because they have families ... They are all quarantined at home".[172]
• On March 21, the Journal de Montréal reported that several of the 27 confirmed cases of COVID-19 under the jurisdiction of the CIUSSS de l'Estrie were reported in the Granby and Bromont sectors, including two medical staff from the Granby Hospital.[173]
• On April 3, 46 new cases and one more death were confirmed in the region. According to the MSSS, on that date, 450 cases and 4 deaths were confirmed.[174]

• The first case of COVID-19 was confirmed in the emergency department of Hull Hospital on March 18. According to the Centre intégré de santé et de services sociaux de l'Outaouais (CISSSO), this individual was a recent traveler.[175] Two days later, the CISSSO confirmed during a press conference that the individual was transferred to the Jewish General Hospital in Montreal for additional treatment.[176]
• On March 20, a second resident contracted the virus. The infected person had received her test in the neighboring province of Ontario.[176]

• On April 17, the CISSSO reported its first death in the region.[177]

• On March 24, the first four cases were confirmed by the CISSS-AT in the region.[178] Two other cases were detected during the next two days. In all cases, the individuals had returned from abroad.[179]
• On March 26, the number of people infected rose to 11.[180] Two of them were a Rouyn-Noranda couple who attended a funeral on March 13 and 14.[181] As of April 1, 20 people who attended this funeral had contracted the virus.[182]
• On March 27, seven additional individuals tested positive. According to Diane Dallaire, the mayor of Rouy-Noranda, a part-time city firefighter would have tested positive. The latter would have seen outside the region, but in Quebec.[183]
• As of March 28, regional roadblocks have been set up to deny non-essential non-locals from entering the region, while the total number of cases was 24, all identified in the Rouyn-Noranda MRC.[184]
• On April 1, 41 positive cases were confirmed, an increase of seven in 24 hours.[182]

• An 83-year-old man from the Bleu Horizon retirement home died from the virus,[185] less than 24 hours after being transferred to intensive care. His spouse also contracted COVID-19.[186]

• On March 24, Dr. Richard Fachehoun announced at the press conference in Baie-Comeau the first case identified in the Côte-Nord. The individual, aged under 50, is said to have contracted the virus during a trip to Costa Rica.[187]
• On March 25, a second person tested positive. Like the case detected the previous day, the individual, aged under 65, was returning from a trip outside the country.[188] A third case was diagnosed the next day.[189] According to Correction Service Canada, one of the first three cases identified is a correctional officer from the Port-Cartier penitentiary.[190]
• On March 27, three new cases were confirmed.[191]
• As of March 28, regional roadblocks have been set up to deny non-essential non-locals from entering the region.[192] On the same day, the CISSS de la Côte-Nord announced seven new cases, bringing the total for the region to 13. In addition, 7 of the 13 cases were thought to be from community-based infections.[193]
• On March 30, nine additional cases were identified in the region, bringing the total number to 26. Of these, eleven (nine employees and two inmates)[194] came from the Port Cartier penitentiary.[195]
• On April 19, there were 109 confirmed positive cases. Of these, 48 had originated at the Port-Cartier penitentiary.[196]

• The first case of COVID-19 was detected in Chibougamau. The patient was a person in their fifties, who was said to have been infected while returning from an international trip. The person experienced symptoms starting March 7, and remained in solitary confinement until their screening on March 13.[197]
• As of March 28, regional roadblocks have been set up to deny non-essential non-locals from entering the region.

• On March 26, a Cree currently residing in Montreal was tested positive, counting as part of the Montreal statistics.[198] On March 27, the first case on-territory was confirmed in Nemaska.[199]
• As of March 28, regional roadblocks have been set up to deny non-essential non-locals from entering the region.

• The first two cases in the region were identified on March 21 in Baie-des-Chaleurs. A third case was confirmed two days later. On March 24, seven cases had been confirmed, three of which were be in the Iles-de-la-Madeleine.[200]
• As of March 28, regional roadblocks have been set up to deny non-essential non-locals from entering the region.
• On March 31, 24 new cases were confirmed in Gaspésie. All were infected in a residence for the elderly.[201] On April 3, three more cases linked to this residence were confirmed.[202]
• On April 2, the thirty-eighth case was confirmed in the region.[203] The individual was coming back from abroad.[202]
• On April 5, 11 new confirmed COVID-19 infections were linked to the Manoir du Havre.[204]
• On April 20, 11 employees of the IGAs in Paspébiac (approximately 3,000 inhabitants) and New Richmond (approximately 3,700 inhabitants) contracted the virus. Since April 19, 2020, the IGA Paspébiac is temporarily closed.[205]
• On April 21, three new cases were confirmed in the region, bringing the total to 138. An employee of the IGA stores in Paspébiac and New Richmond is one of these three new infections. Of these, 31 health workers including 12 CISSS employees were infected.[206]

• On April 5, a resident of the Manoir du Havre, in Maria, died of COVID-19, two days before turning 80 years old. It was the first death in the region.[207]
• By April 15, four other residents of the Manoir du Havre and one other senior who contracted the virus at this establishment died.[208]

• On March 12, a Lévis resident returning from a cruise in the Caribbean was the first case in this territory.[209]
• On March 19, a regional newspaper reported that among the six cases identified, one of them was a student at the school l'Étoile, in Saint-Nicolas, while another was a student at the Les Etchemins high school.[210]
• On March 21, Radio-Canada learned that two teachers of Les Etchemins high school in Lévis were infected with COVID-19, increasing the total of infected employees to three. The spouse of one of these two new cases was also infected.[211]

• On March 19, the first positive COVID-19 case was a healthcare worker, who lives in Laval but does not work there.[212]
• On March 21, the 2nd and 3rd cases were confirmed. One of them was a student at Laval Senior Academy.[213]
• On April 21, Laval confirmed 2,199 cases, an increase of 104 compared to the previous day. Just under a quarter recovered.[214]

• Between April 11 and April 14, 28 residents died in the CHSLD de Sainte-Dorothée. Officially, as of April 16, 32 deaths and 147 positive cases are linked to this establishment.[72]
• On April 21, Laval had 186 deaths. 76 people were hospitalized, and 13 people were in intensive care.[214]

• On March 18, the province had its first death in Lanaudière.[215] According to her granddaughter, the patient, 82-year-old Mariette Tremblay, had poor health and respiratory problems. She was staying in a center for the elderly in Lavaltrie.[216]
• On March 21, four new deaths caused by COVID-19 were confirmed, all in the Lanaudière region. Three of them were elders living in the same residence as Tremblay.[217]
• On March 25, an 83-year-old woman who also lived in the EVA residence died because of the virus. As of April 3, six local tenants have died.[186]

• On March 20, public health authorities stated that infected people frequented locations in Lavaltrie on March 11 (FADOQ – the largest senior's organization in Canada[218]) and the Centre d'action bénévole de Berthier on March 12.[219][220]

• On March 5, the Ministry of Health and Social Services announced a second presumptive case in the province of Quebec, involving a man who had traveled to India in February. The man was being treated in Mont-Laurier for symptoms similar to coronavirus. On March 4, the person was transferred to Jewish General Hospital, where he was diagnosed with pneumonia.[221]
• On March 13, Robert Maranda, spokesperson for the Department of Health and Social Services, confirmed that a man who came back from a trip in Miami tested positive for COVID-19.[222]
• On March 14, the Public Health Department of Lanaudière confirmed that an employee of a private CHSLD in Terrebonne had been tested positive for the coronavirus. The individual had recently traveled to the Dominican Republic.[223]

• On April 14, out of the 635 people tested positive in Laurentides, 256 cases were linked to the Hasidic Jewish community of Boisbriand.[224]
• On April 16, out of 727 people with COVID-19, 133 were workers in the health network.[225]
• As of April 21, 906 people had been diagnosed with COVID-19. 65 people were hospitalized, including 20 in intensive care.[226]

• The first death occurred on March 26. The patient a 91-year-old man who lived in a retirement home in Saint-Jérome.[227]

• The second death occurred on April 14. The patient is a resident of the CHSLD Lucien-G.-Rolland, located in Saint-Jérome.[224]
• The 3rd death occurred on April 15. The person lived in the La Défense residence in Rosemère, which accommodates people with an intellectual disability or an autism spectrum disorder.[228]
• As of April 25, 16 people have died from complications due to COVID-19.[229]

• On March 5, a third presumptive case was confirmed in the province (the first in Montérégie), involving a woman who had returned from France on March 3.[230][231]
• A fourth case was confirmed March 8, involving a woman from Montérégie, Longueuil, who had recently returned from a cruise that had visited Mexico.[232] On March 10, authorities stated that the person had used public transit between February 24 and March 6, and had went through the Berri-UQAM, Champ-de-Mars, and Longueuil metro stations.[233][234] Premier François Legault initially classified the threat posed by the virus as being "weak".[235]
• On March 13, two new cases were confirmed. One of the individuals had recently came back from France, while the other had traveled to the Caribbean.[236]
• On March 16, it was announced that a high school student in McMasterville had contracted the coronavirus.[237] Since March 16, the CISS de la Montérégie-center offers services only by appointment.[238]
• On March 18, the first case of the virus appeared in Kahnawake, where a doctor at the Kateri Memorial Hospital Centre was tested positive for COVID-19. The doctor had traveled to New York City from March 7 to 9.[239]
• On March 19, the CIUSS de l'Estrie-CHUS confirmed that a member of the clinical staff at the Granby Hospital was infected with COVID-19.[240]
• On March 20, the CISSS de la Montérégie-Ouest confirmed that a doctor of the Hôpital Anna-Laberge in Châteauguay tested positive for COVID-19, following a recent trip he took.[241] On the same day, the mayor of Granby, Pascal Bonin, confirmed that a child infected with COVID-19 attended the Miner pool in Granby on March 11.[242]
• On April 2, there were 218 reported cases of COVID-19 from Brossard to Contrecoeur. Across the region, there were 583 cases. There were also 110 people that tested positive in the territory of the Pierre-Boucher local service network (RLS). This territory covers the borough of Vieux-Longueuil and extends east to Contrecoeur, including Boucherville, Varennes, Verchères, Saint-Amable and Sainte-Julie.[243]

• Claude Lafortune died on April 19, 2020, from COVID—19. He was 83 years old.[244]
• Doctor Huy Hao Dao, a 44-year-old public health specialist in Montérégie, died from COVID-19 on April 16. He was the first Quebec doctor to die from complications from the coronavirus.[245]

• On March 24, all flights to Nunavik, or flights in-between villages were restricted only to essential workers or for medical reasons.[246] Flying is the only commercial means of travel in Nunavik, as none of the villages are connected to a road network. On the same day, Raglan Mine began to shutter operations at the mine.[247]
• On March 28, the first case in Salluit was confirmed. The patient was a recent traveller from Montreal. In response, curfew was immediately imposed on Salluit, and all flights were cancelled at Salluit Airport, effectively quarantining the entire town from the rest of Nunavik.[248]
• On April 1, the second case was announced in Puvirnituq.[249] On April 5, three new cases were confirmed in Puvirnituq.[250]
• On April 20, a fourteenth case was identified in Nunavik, the first in the community of Inukjuak.[251]

• On March 23, the director of recreation at Uashat mak Mani-utenam, Uapisthan Fontaine, went to the Sept-Iles hospital to get a COVID—19 test. According to his family, he was refused on the grounds that no case had yet been detected in the region.[252][253]
• As of March 26, the band council prohibited members of their community from leaving the reserve.[254]
• On March 29, Uapisthan was transferred to the Centre hospitalier universitaire de Québec as his health deteriorated rapidly.[255]
• On March 31, in a video posted in Innu-Aimun on Facebook, Chief Mike Pelash McKenzie announced that testing would now be done in Uashat.
• On April 1, another member of the community tested positive.[252]
• A curfew was implemented on April 2 between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m.[256]
• On April 15, the community was dealing with eight confirmed cases of COVID-19.[257]

• Since March 27, access to the Innu Assi territory of Nutashkuan has been prohibited for all persons who are not members of the community, or who do not reside there.
• On March 30, the Nutashkuan First Nation Innu Council was advised that one of the community members tested positive at the Havre-Saint-Pierre hospital.[258]
• On April 19, the Prime Minister of Canada announced that the Canadian Rangers will be deployed to the communities of Nutashkuan and Ekuanitshit.[259]

• Since March 20, tourists, visitors and non-members were no longer allowed into the territory of Pessamit.[260]
• On April 2, the Pessamit Innu Council decided that, starting on April 4, members of the community will no longer be able to leave, except for essential reasons which must be identified on a certificate issued by the Innu Council.[260]
• On April 3, the first case of COVID-19 was confirmed in the community.[261]

• Since March 16, the council has barred non-residents who have no essential reason to be in the community from entering it.[262]

• On March 16, the first positive test of COVID-19 was detected in a non-Quebec individual. The authorities did not state the nationality of the visitor.[263]

A document released on March 16 showed some early government projections of the estimated number of cases, assuming that the restrictions then in place would not change. This is plotted in comparison to the confirmed number of cases.[279]