Legault has admitted that the situation in Montreal remains “worrisome.” Though the gradual reopening of Quebec has already begun outside the Montreal area, officials are increasingly making a distinction between the regions and the metropolis, where the outbreak continues to devastate some communities. While infections were initially concentrated in the center and west of the island, the focus of municipal and provincial leaders is now on the boroughs in the north and east. As of May 12, seven boroughs count over 1,000 total cases: Ahuntsic–Cartierville (1,671), Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce (1,633), Mercier–Hochelaga-Maisonneuve (1,591), Montréal-Nord (1,857), Rivière-des-Prairies–Pointe-aux-Trembles (1,561), Rosemont–La Petite Patrie (1,126), and Villeray–Saint-Michel–Parc-Extension (1,435). With 2,204.6 cases per 100,000 residents, Montréal-Nord has the highest infection rate on the island. As a result of the situation in the city, Premier Francois Legault has twice postponed the date for the beginning of deconfinement in the metropolitan community (CMM), first to May 18 and now to May 25. He has repeatedly made clear that he’s willing to further postpone the date unless the state of the city and surrounding suburbs improves. And though he has rebuked fears that Montrealers could infect populations elsewhere in the province, he admitted on May 11 that he asks National Public Health Director Dr. Arruda “every day if it’s a good idea to confine” the region. “For the moment,” Legault said, the answer is “no.” See the complete breakdown of cases by borough and on-island municipality as of May 12 below: Ahuntsic–Cartierville: 1,671 Anjou: 471 Baie-D'Urfé: 14 Beaconsfield: 50 Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce: 1,633 Côte-Saint-Luc: 408 Dollard-des-Ormeaux: 310 Dorval: 150 Hampstead: 48 Kirkland: 88 Lachine: 433 LaSalle: 953 L'Île-Bizard–Sainte-Geneviève: 154 Mercier–Hochelaga-Maisonneuve: 1,591 Montréal-Est: 28 Montréal-Nord: 1,857 Montréal-Ouest: 17 Mont-Royal: 229 Outremont: 224 Pierrefonds–Roxboro: 387 Plateau-Mont-Royal: 721 Pointe-Claire: 148 Rivière-des-Prairies–Pointe-aux-Trembles: 1,561 Rosemont–La Petite Patrie: 1,126 Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue: 16 Saint-Laurent: 724 Saint-Léonard: 801 Senneville: <5 Sud-Ouest: 730 Verdun: 780 Ville-Marie: 543 Villeray–Saint-Michel–Parc-Extension: 1,435 Westmount: 149 Location to be confirmed: 781 Total in Montreal: 20,232 Here also is the case breakdown by age group: 0-4 years old 190 5-9 173 10-19 606 20-29 2,178 30-39 2,495 40-49 2,802 50-59 2,578 60-69 1,754 70-79 1,910 80+ 5,469 Missing 77 Total 20,232 This is what Montreal’s epidemic curve looks like. Santé Montréal Note that data for May 12 is incomplete. À partir du 20 mai, on va élargir la liste des activités sportives et de plein air permises partout au Québec. Ça va nous faire du bien, mais c’est très important que ça se fasse en respectant les consignes de la Santé publique. Voici les détails : pic.twitter.com/e50Zbp136Q— François Legault (@francoislegault) May 13, 2020 Meanwhile, Quebec is moving ahead with plans to resume some sporting and leisure activities. As of May 20, individual and no-contact outdoor sports will be allowed to take place throughout the province, including the CMM. National parks will also partially reopen. But non-essential travel between regions is still discouraged. So there will be no weekend hiking trips just yet. Stay tuned for more news.
