The legacy of Quebec's controversial pandemic curfew
CBC
Five years after the first reported COVID-19 case in Quebec, the province's curfew remains controversial — more than half the fines are unpaid, legal battles continue and health experts still debate whether the benefits outweighed the costs.
Quebec was the only province to prohibit its citizens from leaving their homes at night during the pandemic.
Premier François Legault's Coalition Avenir Québec government imposed a nightly curfew on two separate occasions.
Was it worth it? Dr. Horacio Arruda, who was the province's director of public health when the curfews were imposed, said it was a necessary move at the time.
"We needed it because of the indicators of the health-care system, the numbers of people who were getting sick," Arruda said in a recent interview with CBC News.
"For me, a curfew is something that was used for war or things like that. But we had looked at what other countries did, France and other countries, and they used it and it was a success. So we added it to our toolbox."
The first time around, the curfew — which forced Quebecers to stay indoors from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. — was initially supposed to be four weeks. It ended up remaining in place for nearly five months, from Jan. 9, 2021, until May 28, 2021.
The second curfew ran from New Year's Eve 2021 until Jan. 17, 2022.
Breaking the curfew resulted in fines between $1,000 and $6,000.
Arruda said in both cases, the curfew helped keep cases down when waves of the virus put the province's hospitals under immense pressure.
Still, five years later, questions remain about the curfew's effectiveness and its lasting legacy, given the infringement on civil liberties.
The Legault government faced pushback over the decision, particularly during the second curfew, when a group of experts went public with their concerns.
"At best, the curfew is a spectacle," the open letter said. "At worst, it is a punishment on individuals to mask the negligence and systemic inaction in managing the pandemic."
It was later revealed that Montreal Public Health had also advised against the second curfew.
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