The Rumours Are False — These Army Trucks Are NOT Coming To Montreal Because Of COVID-19

• After videos circulated online showing what some claimed were army trucks coming into Montreal, the 2nd Canadian Division made clear that this had nothing to do with the outbreak.
• The trucks were returning from an exercise in another province.
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The military is not on its way to Montreal to enforce a quarantine. In the last week, several videos showing what some claimed were army trucks coming into Montreal have circulated on social media. Some expressed anxious confusion at the sight, while others guessed that the equipment foreshadowed a military lockdown.

On Monday, however, the 2nd Canadian Division clarified that this was not the case.

"We're bringing back equipment that had been sent to another province for an exercise," the Divison wrote on Twitter alongside a video of the convoy that reads, "NO LINK WITH THE CORONAVIRUS."

If anything, the incident is an example of the tremendous social anxiety that hangs in the air.

Increasingly strict measures to limit the spread of COVID-19 have forced a usually bustling city to retreat indoors.

Authorities, meanwhile, will begin enforcing new social distancing rules. Montreal police are reportedly prepared to give $1,000 fines to residents who participate in public gatherings.

But, so far, Premier Legault has not indicated that a Quebec-wide stay-at-home order is on its way.

Unlike residents in many large U.S. states and a handful of European countries, people in Quebec are still free to leave their homes for private leisure activities — like walks with their roommate — so long as they maintain a two-meter distance from others out in public.

And despite the public panic, Montrealers are finding ways to have some fun with the situation.

One woman's playful, latex ensemble for a simple trip to the grocery store, for example, attracted quite a bit of attention — and elicited quite a few smiles — over the weekend.

Another Montreal man's coronavirus outfit even earned a Twitter share from makeup guru James Charles.

People across the city, meanwhile, are drawing rainbows in their windows and taking part in balcony concerts in expressions of solidarity with their neighbours.

So though times are dark, there's plenty of fun internet content to counter the spread of fear and misinformation.

And, of course, Montrealers will always find a way to be Montrealers, even in quarantine.

Quebec health officials released guidelines for individuals to follow to help stop the spread of COVID-19 in the province. You can read about them here.

More information on hygiene practices during the pandemic is available on the government of Canada's website here.

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