‘The battle is not won in Montreal’

MONTREAL – There will be no lifting of COVID-19 restrictions in Montreal — in schools or businesses — if the health situation deteriorates further, Premier François Legault warned Thursday.

With almost 100 new deaths in the last 24 hours and tensions rising, Legault moved to reassure a worried population, saying health officials have a close eye on the situation in Quebec, especially in the Montreal and Laval hot spots.

Quebec is not going to take any chances and plans to reopen more businesses May 11 and schools and daycares May 19 can be delayed if necessary, he said.

“The battle is not won in Montreal,” Legault said at his pandemic briefing. “If the situation deteriorates, there will be no opening up of Montreal. I will not hesitate (to hit the brakes), I will not take any risks.”

There was a similar warning from Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante, who spoke at a separate news conference later in the day.

“Public health authorities and the various partners are actively involved to ensure that the restart goes as smoothly as possible,” Plante said. “But we will take no risks.

“A risk-free deconfinement is impossible in the situation such as the one we are facing right now,” Plante added. “That being said, if public health experts conclude that the scheduled start date is no longer realistic, I would support their position unconditionally.

“Nothing is more important than the health of Montrealers.”

Gloomy numbers explain the angst. Health officials announced that of the 27,538 confirmed COVID-19 cases for Quebec, 13,324 are in the Montreal region. The new total provincial death count is 1,859, with 1,146 in Montreal alone.

And while the situation in the regions is stable, the virus continues to ravage the elderly in public (CHSLD) and private long-term care units.