Coronavirus: Everything you need to know in Montreal today

Every day in Canada, a lot of news regarding COVID-19 comes out nationally and locally.

And for now, we will be putting together Montreal and Canada’s top headlines daily to help you digest the news in one place.

Throughout the day, you can see all the headlines in real-time here.

Top coronavirus stories for July 15, as of 5 pm ET:

Quebec reports three new coronavirus deaths and over 125 more cases

The Quebec government revealed that the province’s COVID-19 death toll has reached 5,636 after announcing three more deaths and 109 known cases since Tuesday morning.

According to Santé Quebec, there are now 56,859 cases in the province, 285 hospitalizations, and 20 patients in the ICU.

Currently, a reported 649,257 tests have turned up negative throughout Quebec, and over 30,000 cases have been resolved.

Montreal public health asks bar goers to get tested for coronavirus

Montreal’s regional public health department is asking anyone who has gone to or worked in bars in the city since July 1 to get tested for COVID-19.

Santé Montreal says 30 new confirmed cases have been linked to at least five Montreal bars since the beginning of the month.

Public health says it has contacted bars and customers who may have been exposed to the virus but given that the client registry has only recently been introduced in some places, health officials haven’t been able to trace all probable cases.

Almost 60K people have signed a petition to stop mandatory face masks in Quebec

A change.org petition with almost 60,000 signatures is asking the Quebec government to reverse its decision to make face masks mandatory in indoor public spaces.

The “Refusal to wear a mandatory mask in Quebec” petition calls on the government to terminate the new rule, which is scheduled to take effect on July 18.

The petition lobbies that “several studies” have found that 97% of particles pass through face masks and that masks often turn to be “vectors of the virus” because many citizens wear them incorrectly.

Canadian-made mask proven to be first to deactivate coronavirus

A team of scientists at the University of Toronto confirmed the first mask that deactivates coronavirus.

The researchers tested and established that the virus SARS-CoV-2, which causes COVID-19, cannot be “recovered” after being applied to a TrioMed Active mask.

The Canadian company is focused on the “development and manufacturing of novel antimicrobial products that help prevent the spread of infection and disease.”

Over 21,000 returning travellers broke Canada’s quarantine laws

The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) has referred over 21,000 travellers returning to Canada to the RCMP for failing to verify if they complied with quarantine law.

On Wednesday, PHAC confirmed to Daily Hive that as of July 9, a total of 21,422 travellers have been referred to the RCMP for not complying with the mandatory isolation order, which requires them to self-isolate for 14 days upon entering Canada.

Information on travellers is shared on a daily basis with the National Operations Centre at the RCMP who further dispatches the information to local law enforcement based on jurisdictional boundaries.

Here’s a breakdown of Montreal’s known coronavirus cases per district

Public health has updated Montreal’s data in connection to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Montreal metropolitan area has the unenviable role of having the most cases throughout the province.

With 27,661 known cases of the virus as of July 14, Montreal accounts for 48.7% of Quebec’s 56,730 total. Montreal also accounts for 3,426 of Quebec’s 5,633 (60.8%) coronavirus-related deaths.

NHL releases exhibition game schedule in hub cities

Two weeks, hockey fans.

That’s how much longer you’ll have to wait before you see NHL teams playing games on your television, as the league announced a schedule of 12 exhibition games to be played July 28-30.