COVID cases up in Quebec, Ontario
Quebec and Ontario reported steady rises in their respective COVID-19 caseloads on Sunday, while Nunavut said its first confirmed cases didn't originate in the territory and will instead be counted in other jurisdictions.
Quebec said Sunday it is imposing tighter restrictions on public and private indoor gatherings in Montreal and Quebec City, among other parts of the province, after the increase in COVID-19 cases.
Health Minister Christian Dube says the government is moving Montreal, Quebec City and some of its surrounding areas, and the Chaudiere-Appalaches region to the orange “moderate alert” level.
That is the second-highest level under the province's four-tiered, colour-coded COVID-19 risk assessment system, which measures the risk posed by COVID-19 in specific geographic areas.
In orange zones, bars and restaurants will need to stop selling alcohol at 11 p.m. and close by midnight, while a maximum of six patrons will be allowed to sit at the same table, down from 10.
Indoor private gatherings in orange zone areas also will be capped at a maximum of six people, down from 10.
Some indoor public gatherings — such as religious services, weddings or event halls — will be capped at a maximum of 50 people across the entire province and at 25 people in orange zones, down from 250.
The changes, which come into effect at 12:01 a.m. Monday, were announced just hours after Quebec reported 462 new cases of COVID-19, hitting a months-long high for the second day in a row.
Ontario recorded 365 new COVID-19 cases and one new death over the past 24 hours. The daily tally, while still considerably higher than numbers the province was recording three weeks ago, is slightly lower than the more than 400 new cases documented Friday and Saturday.
The bulk of Sunday's new Ontario cases came in two of the traditional hot spots that have emerged in recent weeks, but data suggests a neighbouring community could be poised to join their ranks.
York Region, located north of Toronto, recorded 38 new cases Sunday morning. Toronto itself and nearby Peel Region reported 113 and 108 new cases respectively, while the third hot spot of Ottawa reported 14.
The recent surge in new diagnoses has prompted the province's Progressive Conservative government to roll back limits on social gatherings, which had been raised over the summer when case numbers dropped.
Premier Doug Ford, who imposed a cap of 10 physically distanced participants on indoor assemblies and 25 for events taking place outside over the next 28 days, has attributed the recent spike to residents flouting public health advice by meeting in large groups and failing to wear masks or stay at least two metres away from other people.
Ford on Sunday lambasted attendees of one such gathering, saying the hundreds of people who packed a Hamilton-area parking lot the night before to attend an event related to car racing were putting the public at risk. Hamilton police said Sunday an investigation was underway.
Sunday's data showed the province completing a record-high number of COVID-19 tests, according to a tweet from Health Minister Christine Elliott. She said officials processed 40,127 tests over the past 24 hours.
In Nunavut, meanwhile, Dr. Michael Patterson, the territory's chief public health officer, said there are two cases at the Hope Bay gold mine 125 kilometres southwest of Cambridge Bay.
Patterson said in a news release both miners are asymptomatic and were exposed to COVID-19 in their home jurisdictions.
He said the samples tested positive on the GeneXpert device in Rankin Inlet late on Sept. 16 and were confirmed by the National Microbiology Lab in Winnipeg on Sunday.