Ontario’s health minister is suggesting the recent Thanksgiving festivities have affected the province’s efforts to contain the spread of COVID-19 in a handful of hot spots.
Christine Elliott also says the province imposed stricter health measures on hot spot regions around the same time and those may help lead to lower case counts.
Elliott’s comments come a day after Ontario – one of the two provinces hit hardest by the pandemic – recorded its highest single-day increase in cases.
The province reported more than 1,000 new cases on Sunday for the first time since the start of the global health crisis.
Quebec also hit a grim milestone over the weekend in surpassing 100,000 total infections. The province reported 879 new cases on Sunday.
Earlier this month, Quebec tightened restrictions in regions under its highest COVID-19 alert level, closing down gyms, putting limits on team sports and making masks mandatory for high school students.
Premier Francois Legault has hinted that some of those restrictions would remain in effect beyond the initial 28-day period, which is set to end Wednesday for Montreal and Quebec City.
That possibility has faced pushback from a group of roughly 200 Quebec business owners who say they plan to reopen their gym, dance, yoga or martial arts facilities on Thursday despite the rules.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Monday, Oct. 26, 2020.
The Canadian Press
