Quebec Is Making It Mandatory To Work From Home

As COVID-19 cases spike, Health Minister Christian Dubé announced a flurry of new health rules in Quebec on Monday, including the reintroduction of a work from home order.

As of 5:00 p.m. on Monday, telework will be mandatory across the province. In addition, bars, casinos, theatres and gyms are closing. Spas will also close everything but personal care services.

This new list of health rules comes just days after the government announced an initial set of regulations that included 50% capacity limits for bars and many venues. Those rules entered into force on Monday but will be trumped by the new rules taking effect at 5:00 p.m.

The province also cancelled earlier plans to expand private gathering limits for the holidays.

The health minister called the situation in Quebec "critical." He said that despite the province's push to expand booster shot eligibility, more measures were needed in the short term to curb the spread of COVID-19 infections.

With 4,571 infections confirmed on Monday, Quebec broke a record for the most new COVID-19 cases reported in a single day — and that record was just one-day old. The province broke a two-day-old record on Sunday with 3,846 cases, up from 3,768 reported on Friday.

This is a developing story. Check back for more details.