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 22, as of 5 pm ET:

Quebec confirms 65 more coronavirus deaths as cases pass 46,000

The Quebec government revealed that the province’s COVID-19-related death toll has reached 3,865, after announcing 65 more deaths since Thursday afternoon.

As part of Quebec’s daily briefings, Deputy Premier Geneviève Guilbault updated the provincial numbers, confirming 46,141 known cases and 1,533 hospitalizations, 171 of whom are in the ICU.

Currently, a reported 321,123 tests have turned up negative throughout Quebec.

Quebec museums, drive-in cinemas, and libraries to open at the end of the month

The Quebec government continues its surge of reopenings, announcing that libraries, drive-in cinemas, and museums throughout the province can reopen as of May 29.

The announcement was made in Montreal on Friday, as Geneviève Guilbault said public health has given the green light for certain cultural venues to open at the end of the month.

Guilbault said Quebecers will be able to go “forward with more and more access to the freedom we all want again,” assuming citizens remain diligent and respect guidelines put forth by public health and in turn, individual businesses and venues.

François Legault and Jonathan Drouin dish out Canadiens face masks at Montreal metro

Quebec’s premier and its hockey team joined forces in Montreal on Friday morning to hand out some Canadiens face coverings.

François Legault and Quebec’s Public Health Director, Dr. Horracio Arruda, partnered on a line with Habs forward Jonathan Drouin and General Manager Marc Bergevin at the Cadillac Metro to distribute face masks with the team’s iconic logo to those in need.

The government is strongly recommending Quebecers wear masks in public, especially in public transit and place where the two-metre physical distancing guideline is difficult to follow.

STM will begin handing out over 234,000 face masks next week

On Monday, the STM (Société de transport de Montréal) will begin handing out 235,000 reusable face coverings, an operation that will be carried out until the end of June.

The public transit network says the face coverings will be handed out in the métro’s busiest stations and in areas that have been hit hardest by the pandemic.

The face coverings handouts will begin on Monday, May 25.

Trudeau outlines what needs to happen to reopen the economy safely

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau outlined the safety measures and protocols needed to reopen the economy by boosting COVID-19 testing capacity, contact tracing, and data sharing between jurisdictions.

On Friday, Trudeau said he spoke with all the premiers on Thursday night in the tenth weekly call since the start of the pandemic, focusing on how Canada can safely reopen the economy.

“Canadians have been doing a great job of staying home and listening to public health advice,” Trudeau said. “But we are not out of the woods yet.”

Federal government launches website to help Canadians find financial help

Justin Trudeau announced the launch of a new online tool to help Canadians find the financial program to best assist their needs during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The new online tool asks a series of simple questions like what province or territory you are from, if financial income was stopped or reduced, the means of the reduction in salary, and if you will struggle to pay rent or mortgage payments.

“People are going through a period of uncertainty and life was turned upside down overnight,” Trudeau said on Friday, during his daily press conference.