Quebec confirms 75 more coronavirus deaths as cases pass 32,500

The Quebec government revealed that the province’s COVID-19-related death toll has reached 2,280 after announcing 75 more deaths since Sunday afternoon.

As part of his daily briefings, Quebec Premier François Legault updated the province’s numbers, citing 32,623 known cases and 1,772 hospitalizations, 218 of whom are in ICU.

Currently, a reported 206,551 cases have turned up negative throughout the province.

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Legault pointed out, “it’s important to clarify that the deaths continue to be very concentrated in long-term care centres. Seventy-two of the 75 deaths are from them.”

The premier said there is “no situation” where they are lacking staff, but called on Quebecers to come help out in CHSLDs to give employees who’ve been working eight straight “intensive weeks” some time off.

“All those available, regardless of qualifications, we are ready to call you,” he pleaded in French.

#COVID19 – Au Québec, en date du 4 mai 2020 à 13 h, la situation est la suivante :
32 623 cas confirmés
206 551 analyses négatives (cas infirmés)
1 772 personnes hospitalisées
2 280 décès

Pour en savoir plus sur la situation au Québec : https://t.co/fiqW5E4y8R

— Santé Québec (@sante_qc) May 4, 2020

After announcing Montreal’s delayed reopening of businesses, Legault confirmed that schools and daycares will reopen as planned for May 11.

“We have to redesign the entire organization and limit the number of students in each class,” he said. “We need for people to be very flexible and I count on Quebecer’s resourcefulness to be able to make this transition as smooth as possible. Unfortunately, there is not a pandemic reopening handbook.”

Legault said, though public health doesn’t think it is necessary, the government will allow teachers to wear face coverings if they desire.

“What’s important is that everyone feels comfortable in this phase,” he said.

Legault said that the reopening of the construction sector will be kept as originally planned.

“Life is starting to come back to something that seems a little bit normal,” he concluded, “but I want to repeat it, two-metres, two-metres, two-metres, or for the older folks, six feet. I count on you so we can gradually go back to a normal life.”

Legault stressed that physical distancing is something we should “get used to living with.”

Canada’s coronavirus death toll now totals 3,767.