Montreal reinstates state of emergency due to rising cases, Omicron variant
CBC
The City of Montreal has declared a local state of emergency in an effort to curb the spread of the Omicron variant of COVID-19.
Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante, who recently announced she tested positive for COVID-19, made the announcement Tuesday at a virtual news conference.
Cases are rising sharply across the province, with Quebec reporting yet another new daily record of 5,043 cases. Montreal alone accounted for 1,656 of them.
Plante said the state of emergency will allow the city to react quickly to a changing situation.
"We will be able now, with the state of emergency, to be proactive. We are more in charge, if I can say, in some decisions," she said.
Plante said the state of emergency will be used to quickly procure protective equipment for the city's essential workers, and prepare sites and facilities to accommodate Montreal's homeless population.
"With the number of cases going up with the Omicron variant, we want to be ready if there's an outbreak in a shelter, for example," she said. "We will need to isolate people, we will need more beds, more sites."
Plante also announced that the city will be doubling funds to address homelessness in Wednesday's budget. She said the city is currently short about 100 shelter beds.
WATCH | Montreal mayor Valérie Plante talks about her experience with COVID-19:
This marks Montreal's second state of emergency during the pandemic.
The city had previously declared one at the start of the pandemic but allowed it to expire in August, citing high vaccination rates and the implementation of the vaccine passport system.
Plante said she does not regret letting the state of emergency lapse, saying it should not be used as a permanent solution.
Under Section 42 of the provincial Civil Protection Act, a municipality may declare a local state of emergency, in all or part of its territory, when a major disaster, real or imminent, requires extraordinary measures to protect human life.
The Quebec government also declared a state of emergency at the start of the pandemic, but has maintained it since, despite criticism that officials were refusing to relinquish their emergency powers.
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