COVID-19 in Quebec: What you need to know on Monday

The latest:

• Montreal retail locations that have direct outdoor access are reopening this morning.
• Quebechas47,984 confirmed casesof COVID-19, and4,069 peoplehave died. On Monday, the government announced an increase of 573 cases and 85 deaths from a day earlier.
• There are 1,425 people in hospital (a decrease of 10), including 179 in intensive care (an increase of nine).Here's aguideto the numbers.
• The Health Ministry and Education Ministry will work together to organize three-month training sessions for young people hoping to help fill the staffing gaps in the province's nursing homes.

Quebec is continuing to reopen parts of the economy, withPremier Franois Legaultannouncing that shopping malls outside the Montreal area can reopen June 1.

At his regular news conference Monday, he said the province had also surpassed its goal of 14,000 tests per day at the end of last week.

WATCH | Legaultexplains new rules for outdoor gatherings

Keep outside gatherings to a maximum of ten people, Legault says

4 years ago

Duration 1:13

Premier Franois Legault is reminding Quebecers that outside gatherings of ten people are allowed but from no more than three different families.

Legault also said Immigration Minister Simon Jolin-Barrette will be looking into how asylum seekers working in the province's understaffed long-term care homes could go through the regular immigration process.

The comments represent a departure for Legault, who has previously rejected the idea of giving any kind of preference for asylum seekers and others without status working in essential jobs during the pandemic.

• MORE:Legault promises to give asylum seekers working in CHSLDs a chance to apply as immigrants

Masks for public transit users

Public transit users in Laval and Montreal are being encouraged to wear masks as hundreds ofthousands of peoplereturn to work this morning.

Politicians and a brigade of STM workersare handing out free masks at Metro stations in Laval and Montreal this morning. Exo will also be giving out masks.

• MORE:STM to hand out 1.5 million masks by fall, but wearing them won't be mandatory

Mayor Valrie Plante hands out masks at Langelier Metro station

4 years ago

Duration 0:59

As more people start heading back to work, local politicians join public transit staff in distributing masks. For now, the masks are recommended, but not mandatory.

The risks of reopening

Retail stores across the Montreal area open for the first time in nearly two months today, but with the number of cases still rampant in the area, some are concerned that is happening too soon.

While there have been some improvements in Montreal's situation, it hasn't been enough to completely erase the fears of epidemiologists.

But as Legault continues to lift restrictions, several factors that have contributed to the ongoing disaster remain unaddressed, including a staffing shortage in long-term care homes and crowded Montreal hospitals.

• More:Why reopening Montreal is a riskier bet than Legault is letting on

Retail stores reopen

Stores will look a little different when they open today, with new safety measures to keep both shoppers and staff safe.

Stickers on the floor indicating that customers should stand two metres apart, as well as plexiglass barriers are just some of the ways Montreal stores have had to adapt amid the pandemic.

But in stores where customers are accustomedto touching items and trying things on, employees face a whole other set of challenges.

• More: What to expect at newly opened stores