COVID-19 pandemic in Montreal

COVID-19 pandemic in Montreal
DiseaseCOVID-19
Virus strainSARS-CoV-2
LocationMontreal, Quebec, Canada
First outbreakWuhan, Hubei, China
Index caseMontreal
Arrival dateFebruary 27, 2020[1]
DateApril 3, 2024
Confirmed cases385,462[a][2]
Deaths
6,319[2]
Fatality rate1.64%
Vaccinations
  • 88% vaccinated with at least one dose [2]
  • 84% fully vaccinated [2]
Government website
Santé Montréal
INSPQ

The COVID-19 pandemic in Montreal was part of the global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), a novel infectious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Until April 2021, Montreal was the worst affected health region in Canada.[3][4] Despite being surpassed by Toronto in total number of cases, Montreal still has the highest total death count and the highest death rate in Canada, with the death rate from COVID-19 being two times higher on the island of Montreal than in the city of Toronto due in large part to substantial outbreaks in long-term care homes.[3] Montreal is Canada's second most populous city, the largest city in Quebec, and the eighth most populous city in North America.

Montreal confirmed its first case of COVID-19 on February 27, 2020. The patient was a 41-year-old woman who had returned from Iran three days earlier on a flight from Doha, Qatar.[5][6]

In early March 2020, the closure of public spaces, including stores, gyms, shopping malls, and schools, began. On March 27, with nearly 1,000 confirmed cases,[3] Montreal declared a state of emergency.[7] The first wave of COVID-19 lasted until early summer, at which point the economy started to gradually reopen, with daily case counts dropping into the double digits.[8] In September 2020, facing the possibility of a second wave, the Quebec government announced a colour-coded alert level system made up of four zones (green, yellow, orange, and red), with restrictions being least severe in green zones and most severe in red zones. On September 30, Montreal was placed in the red zone.[9]

Over the next few months, the second wave continued to worsen, prompting renewed closures and eventually, a province-wide lockdown, which came into effect on December 25 (Christmas Day). On January 9, a curfew came into effect.[1] The lockdown ended a month later, allowing for non-essential businesses to reopen.[10]

In December 2020, the vaccination campaign began, starting with residents of long-term care homes and healthcare workers.[11] On March 1, 2021, only a year after the arrival of the pandemic, mass vaccination of the general population began.[12]

At the end of March 2021, as the second wave was dying down, some restrictions were lifted, including the closure of gyms, theatres, and show venues. Not even two weeks later, the reopening was reversed due to a third wave driven by the Alpha variant.[13][14] However, unlike the first and second waves, Montreal and its surrounding areas were not the hotspot of the province during the third wave, managing to endure it with only a minimal to non-existent rise in cases, hospitalizations, and deaths. Towards the end of May, with over 50% of the island's population vaccinated with at least one dose, restrictions started to gradually lift, with the curfew ending on May 28 in all regions of Quebec.[15] On June 7, after about eight months in the red zone, Montreal moved into the orange zone, allowing gyms and dine-in restaurants to open,[16] and on June 14, they moved into the yellow zone, allowing bars to reopen.[17][18] Finally, on June 28, Montreal moved into the zone with the fewest restrictions, the green zone.[19][20] Two months later, Montreal ended its state of emergency.[21]

With the rise of the Omicron variant, the Quebec government reintroduced province-wide restrictions in December 2021, forcing gyms, restaurants, and other establishments to close, despite the vaccine passport requirement in these settings and a high vaccination rate in Montreal.[22] During the first two weeks of 2022, Montreal was subject to a contentious curfew[23] from 10:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m.[24] Restrictions began to loosen in February 2022, and by mid-March, almost all COVID-19 measures in Montreal had been lifted, with the notable exception of the mask mandate.[25] Finally, on May 14, 2022, the mask mandate for most indoor spaces was lifted.[26]

  1. ^ a b "Ligne du temps COVID-19 au Québec". INSPQ. Gouvernement du Québec. October 5, 2022.
  2. ^ a b c d "Données COVID-19 au Québec". INSPQ.
  3. ^ a b c "Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19): Epidemiology update". Government of Canada. April 19, 2020. Retrieved March 18, 2021.
  4. ^ "With 9,856 cases, Montreal region remains Canada's COVID-19 epicentre". Montreal Gazette. Retrieved April 23, 2020.
  5. ^ "Coronavirus : un premier cas est officiellement confirmé au Québec" (in Canadian French). CBC/Radio-Canada. February 28, 2020. Archived from the original on March 8, 2020. Retrieved March 9, 2020.
  6. ^ Gosselin, Janie (February 27, 2020). "Un premier cas de COVID-19 au Québec". La Presse (in French). Archived from the original on February 28, 2020. Retrieved February 28, 2020.
  7. ^ "Montreal declares state of emergency amid coronavirus pandemic". Global News. Retrieved August 31, 2020.
  8. ^ "Données COVID-19 au Québec". INSPQ (in French). Gouvernement du Québec.
  9. ^ Andrew-Gee, Eric; Stone, Laura (September 28, 2020). "Quebec reinstates pandemic restrictions, ordering closing of bars, restaurants in Montreal, Quebec City". The Globe and Mail. Archived from the original on November 30, 2020. Retrieved December 18, 2020.
  10. ^ Olivier, Annabelle (February 2, 2021). "Coronavirus: Quebec reopens non-essential businesses but curfew maintained". Global News. Archived from the original on February 2, 2021.
  11. ^ Stevenson, Verity; Hinkson, Kamila (December 7, 2020). "Quebec to start COVID-19 vaccinations next week, health minister says". CBC News.
  12. ^ Messier, François (March 1, 2021). "C'est parti pour la vaccination de masse à Montréal" (in French). Radio-Canada. Archived from the original on March 2, 2021. Retrieved March 1, 2021.
  13. ^ Olivier, Annabelle (March 31, 2021). "Quebec imposes lockdown for 3 cities as COVID-19 cases rise ahead of Easter long weekend". Global News. Retrieved April 2, 2021.
  14. ^ Labbé, Jérôme (April 6, 2021). "Québec adopte des mesures " préventives " pour braver " le mois de tous les dangers "" (in French). Radio-Canada. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
  15. ^ Pringle, Josh; Cherron, Jeremie (May 28, 2021). "Police checkpoints will continue to limit non-essential travel as curfew ends, patios reopen in Gatineau". CTV News. Retrieved May 29, 2021.
  16. ^ Laframboise, Kalina (June 7, 2021). "'It just feels good': Montreal gyms, dining rooms reopen as province now out of the red zone". Global News. Retrieved June 7, 2021.
  17. ^ "Le Québec en jaune et vert" (in French). Radio-Canada. June 13, 2021. Retrieved June 14, 2021.
  18. ^ "COVID-19 in Quebec: What you need to know on Monday". CBC News. June 14, 2021. Retrieved June 14, 2021.
  19. ^ Kovac, Adam (June 27, 2021). "All of Quebec goes green on Monday. What does that mean for you?". CTV News. Retrieved June 28, 2021.
  20. ^ "COVID-19 in Quebec: What you need to know this weekend". CBC News. June 26, 2021. Retrieved June 28, 2021.
  21. ^ "Montreal to end local state of emergency in place since start of the COVID-19 pandemic". CBC News. August 23, 2021. Retrieved August 25, 2021.
  22. ^ Stevenson, Verity (December 20, 2021). "Quebec shuts down schools, bars, gyms and more as COVID-19 case counts soar". CBC News. Retrieved December 21, 2021.
  23. ^ Stevenson, Verity (January 4, 2022). "Quebec government faces backlash for 2nd curfew". CBC News.
  24. ^ Stevenson, Verity (January 13, 2022). "Quebec premier announces end to curfew Monday, back-to-school plan". CBC News. Retrieved January 16, 2022.
  25. ^ "COVID-19 in Quebec: What you need to know this weekend". CBC News. March 12, 2022.
  26. ^ Marchand, Laura (May 14, 2022). "Quebec's mask mandate is over. Here's what you need to know". CBC News.


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