Montreal Is Finally Lifting Its State Of Emergency By May 19

Montreal will lift its state of emergency by next Thursday. The municipal government has operated under the special powers to respond to the pandemic since last December, when the rise of the Omicron variant brought about a sixth wave. The mandate has been renewed every week since.

The city's executive committee announced on Wednesday that it will not extend the state of emergency beyond May 19. The final five-day extension of the mandate took place on May 11. That means an imminent end to the city's second state of emergency in the past two years. The first lasted 17 months, from March 2020 until August 2021, marking the longest state of emergency in Montreal history.

"High vaccination rates and the improvement of the COVID-19 situation, along with current and upcoming government-issued ordinances, enable the city to take emergency action without having to rely on the special powers granted through the local state of emergency," the city released in a statement.

All operations linked to public health directives will return to being managed by regular administrative procedures.

Under Quebec's Civil Protection Act, a city can call a state of emergency to react to a major disaster that requires "extraordinary measures" to save lives. Using the measure, the Montreal government was able to allocate resources and manpower more quickly to fight against the pandemic. Part of the city's state of emergency response included getting protective equipment for essential workers and preparing emergency accommodations for homeless people.

"Despite the projected lifting of the local state of emergency, we remain vigilant as the pandemic evolves and will continue to monitor the situation closely. Should anything change, we will be prepared to make the best decisions,” said Mayor Valérie Plante.

Within the past 24 hours, the city reported 306,048 confirmed cases of the virus, up 219 cases from the day before.