• At a press conference, Legault announced that frontline health care workers' salaries are getting a significant bump.
• The Premier specifically praised the work of private residence employees.
• Visit MTLBlog for more headlines.

Medical professionals in Quebec will benefit from a huge salary bonus. Premier François Legault, along with Treasury Councillor Christian Dubé and Health Minister Danielle McCann, announced a $287 million total bonus for frontline health care workers who are in direct contact with the sick during the COVID-19 outbreak. People who work in private nursing homes will see a $4 dollar hourly increase. 

"There is all the staff who work with a sense of duty, humanely with the sick. I say thank you. But I think it takes a little more than thanks, it also takes concrete action," said Legault.

Private residence workers are benefiting from the largest salary increase. Legault said that they are among the most important frontline workers in the fight against COVID-19. 

"It is important that workers in private residences are paid. When you look at all this improvement there, I have never seen a group that deserves a salary increase as much as this one."

In regards to medical equipment, the government reassured the public that there is enough stock to last at least seven days.

Public health officials are doing all they can to get more but stressed that citizens must do their part and respect the safety rules to avoid putting more pressure on the health care network.

As there are now over 5,000 cases of COVID-19 in Quebec, it's imperative that people follow the established regulations such as social distancing and frequent hand washing, Legault said.

However, the Premier assured that Quebec has one of the lowest death rates compared to cases in the world.

READ ALSO: Quebec Now Has 5,518 COVID-19 Cases, 907 More Than Yesterday

"I am proud to see that in Quebec we have far fewer deaths per million inhabitants than in the United States, than in Europe. So we have to keep it that way," he said. 

The province has over 6,000 hospital beds available.

The government will announce more details in the coming days, including when residents can expect the peak of the outbreak.

"Today's number shows us an important increase in cases, but our health network is ready to face it. The most important thing is to follow public health directives," stressed Legault. 

Stay tuned for more updates on the COVID-19 situation in Quebec.