{"id":382593,"date":"2021-12-17T18:30:00","date_gmt":"2021-12-17T15:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/quebec-tightens-up-restrictions-for-omicron\/"},"modified":"2021-12-17T18:30:00","modified_gmt":"2021-12-17T15:30:00","slug":"quebec-tightens-up-restrictions-for-omicron","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/quebec-tightens-up-restrictions-for-omicron\/","title":{"rendered":"#Quebec tightens up restrictions for Omicron"},"content":{"rendered":"

“#Quebec tightens up restrictions for Omicron<\/strong>”<\/p>\n

\n Politics Insider for Dec. 17: Quebec’s new restrictions; Ontario’s grim COVID projections; and cabinet’s new Canada-first mandate\n <\/div>\n
\n Welcome to a sneak peek of the\u00a0<\/em>Maclean\u2019s\u00a0Politics Insider\u00a0news<\/a>letter.\u00a0Sign up to get it delivered\u00a0straight to your inbox in the morning.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Restrictions:<\/strong> With at least 3,700 new cases<\/strong> expected to be announced on Friday, the Quebec government announced Thursday a series<\/a> of renewed restrictions including reduced capacity at businesses, bars and restaurants and a delayed return to classes for secondary and post-secondary students, CTV Montreal reports<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Because of the record-breaking numbers, \u201cwe must act,\u201d<\/strong> Quebec Premier Fran\u00e7ois Legault<\/strong> said Thursday, announcing a slew of public health rules the province is tightening as of Monday. Getting vaccinated is key, he said, but \u201cthe second weapon that we have is simple: we have\u2026\u00a0to be close to other people less often.\u201d The province has a goal of reducing contacts by 50 per cent, he said. That means halving capacity wherever possible across the province.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Minister positive:<\/strong> Among those caught up in the scary surge of new cases in Quebec is the education minister, Le Journal de Montr\u00e9al<\/em>\u00a0reports<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Circuit breaker<\/strong>: The Ontario COVID-19 Science<\/a> Table warned Thursday the province could see 10,000 cases a day<\/strong> as Omicron takes over, and experts say a \u201ccircuit breaker\u201d could help avoid the worst, the Globe<\/em> reports<\/a>.<\/p>\n

These spiking new cases could overwhelm hospitals in January,\u00a0the science table warns<\/a>, without intervention now \u2013 even with uncertainty about the severity of the disease caused by the new variant. \u201cWaiting to take action means waiting until it is too late to take action,\u201d said Adalsteinn (Steini) Brown, head of the science table and dean of the University of Toronto\u2019s public health school. The numbers, released a day after the\u00a0government of Premier Doug Ford announced<\/a>\u00a0accelerated booster shots and new capacity limits for large sports and theatre venues, say Omicron is spreading so quickly it will be Ontario\u2019s dominant variant by the end of this week.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Common sense?<\/strong> CTV snowbird Don Martin<\/strong>, who returned to Canada from the United States last week, describes<\/a> an unpleasant airport scene, but overall thinks that something like a\u00a0common sense evolution is taking place.<\/p>\n

We\u2019re mercifully pivoting back to the initial goal when the rallying cry was to \u201cflatten the curve\u201d in order to keep empty beds in ICUs instead of chasing rainbow fantasies that this insidious virus can be exterminated by washing your vegetables. So here\u2019s hoping the feds embrace realistic responsibilities<\/strong> in this fourth \u2013 or is it fifth? \u2013 COVID-19 wave: Secure the kid doses and adult boosters, get millions of rapid testing kits into provincial hands and keep the economy flowing through a border as immune as possible to variant invasions.<\/p>\n

Just theatre?<\/strong> Behind the scenes in provincial capitals, though, some think new federal restrictions on travel<\/a> amount to political theatre, Global\u2019s David Akin<\/strong> reports<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Tackling protectionism: Justin Trudeau<\/strong> has finally sent his ministers new mandate letters, and they include direction to \u201caddress rising fears about President Joe Biden\u2019s<\/strong> America-first policies,\u201d Politico reports<\/a>. Bloomberg takes a similar angle<\/a>. Global notes that<\/a> Trudeau has asked his \u201cdefence, foreign affairs, public safety and industry ministers to develop a new \u2018National Cyber Security Strategy.\u2019 \u201d The Post<\/em> reports<\/a>\u00a0that the government plans to force online giants to compensate news publishers, and will rework its online harms legislation.<\/p>\n

Regrets:<\/strong> Trudeau told Global<\/a> in an end-of-year interview that the \u201ctop levels of the military\u201d told his government there was \u201cno problem\u201d when it came to the misconduct scandal that has shaken the Canadian Armed Forces. Trudeau said he wishes \u201che could have done more.\u201d<\/p>\n

Child killed:<\/strong> Global has a tragic story<\/a> about a 10-year-old girl who was shot dead in Afghanistan while her family was preparing to flee to Canada.<\/p>\n

The girl, Nazifa, was killed when gunfire erupted near a Taliban checkpoint in Kandahar on the night of Dec. 10, her father and the Canadian veterans group Aman Lara<\/strong> told Global News in interviews. The father had worked for the Canadian military in Kandahar until 2011. The family was app<\/a>roved for resettlement by Canada, but was stuck in Afghanistan due to the lack of evacuation efforts.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Teneycke vs. McVety:<\/strong> Ontario PC Party campaign director Kory Teneycke<\/strong> has slapped Premier Doug Ford\u2019s<\/strong> former ally Charles McVety<\/strong> with a lawsuit, Queens Park Today<\/em> reports<\/a>. Teneycke and his lobbying firm, Rubicon Strategy, are suing McVety for defamation, alleging the outspoken evangelist has tried to impugn his integrity. \u201cMr. McVety is about to learn that defamation can be very expensive,\u201d Teneycke said in a text.\u00a0McVety had no comment.<\/p>\n

Ships costly:<\/strong> A report from parliamentary budget officer Yves Giroux Thursday estimates Ottawa\u2019s decision to build two new polar icebreakers for the Canadian Coast Guard will cost $7.25 billion, a\u00a0dramatic increase over the government\u2019s 2013 estimate that it would cost $1.3 billion to build one such vessel, CP reports<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Potato drama:<\/strong> P.E.I. Premier Dennis King<\/strong> says Ottawa should cut the \u201csilly BS\u201d and do more to end the ban on Island potato exports to the United States, CBC reports<\/a>.<\/p>\n

A million Bluenosers:<\/strong> Nova Scotia announced Thursday the province now has a million people, CTV Atlantic reports<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Publication note:<\/strong> MPs wrapped things up<\/a> Thursday for a holiday break, and so, too, is your correspondent. The newsletter will be back in your inbox in two weeks. We wish you a joyful solstice season!<\/p>\n

\u2014 Stephen Maher<\/strong>
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