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 digest the news in one place.

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

Top coronavirus stories for May 1, as of 5 pm ET:

Quebec confirms 163 more coronavirus deaths as cases eclipse 28,600

The Quebec government revealed that the province’s COVID-19-related death toll has reached 2,022 after announcing 163 more deaths since Thursday afternoon.

As part of Quebec’s daily briefings, the province’s director of public health Dr. Horacio Arruda announced that the spike in deaths weren’t all from the past 24 hours.

“Don’t get alarmed,” he said in French, “these are not only deaths that took place yesterday but ones that went back to April that were announced as COVID-related in the past day.”

Quebec now has 28,648 known cases and 1,716 hospitalized patients. 190,719 cases have turned up negative throughout the province.

Public health announces new COVID-19 testing plan throughout Quebec

Quebec’s director of public health Dr. Horacio Arruda and the general deputy director Yves Jalbert, have announced a new COVID-19 testing plan for the province.

According to Arruda, increased testing and contract tracing are considered to be an essential part of Quebec’s plan to start easing restrictions and deconfinement measures.

“Right now, we will be setting up a more massive screening plan throughout the community,” said Arruda in French. “We will test to find cases, identify contacts, and go up the chain to isolate and avoid the spread of the virus.”

These airlines require passengers to wear face masks

A number of airlines in Canada, the United States, and Europe have implemented a mandatory face mask policy, effective for both passengers and staff.

Canada’s arrangements took effect on April 20, when the Minister of Transport, the Honourable Marc Garneau, announced measures requiring passengers to have a non-medical face mask that covers both their nose and mouth.

Additionally, all passengers aboard flights arriving at or departing Canadian airports are required to prove that they have the necessary non-medical face mask or face covering during the boarding process.

Valérie Plante named to global coronavirus recovery task force

Valérie Plante will be representing Montreal on the worldwide scale as she’s been named to a global mayors’ task force aiming to help cities recover from the COVID-19 crisis.

Montreal’s mayor is the only Canadian named to the 11-person squad, which includes the mayors of Hong Kong, Sierra Leone, Lisbon, Seattle, Milan, Melbourne, New Orleans, among others.

The task force is fronted by C40 Cities, a group that focuses on global issues related to climate change.

Former NHL enforcer Georges Laraque tests positive for coronavirus

Georges Laraque shared a photo of himself lying in a hospital bed on Thursday, announcing on social media that he has tested positive for COVID-19.

The 43-year-old former NHL enforcer appeared to be in good spirits, despite the fact that he is asthmatic.

“I guess I’m not invincible, just got diagnosed with Covid,” said Laraque. “Since I’m asthmatic, not the best news, will fight it off!”

Montreal’s biggest film festival is going completely virtual this summer

Given the continuing uncertainty related to physical cinema spaces and large gatherings, the Fantasia International Film Festival will be going completely virtual in August.

The 2020 edition will feature a “cutting-edge” platform, according to the festival’s website, by using a program that offers “studio-grade DRM” and will be “MPAA compliant,” citing the Motion Picture Association of America’s security operating standards.

“A number of screenings will be presented with real-time access, offering heightened security to the digital programming with attention to recreating the energy and sense of shared experience that make festivals so vital and beloved,” says Fantasia. “This unique opportunity allows us to program top-tier genre films that may not have otherwise considered online launches or premieres.”