The provincial government of Quebec has ordered the closure of movie theaters in order to stop the spread of the omicron variant of COVID-19, making it the first North American market to shutter theaters in the wake of the new health crisis.
What Happened: The CBC reported Quebec Health Minister Christian Dubé announced the decision to prevent the province’s health care system from being overloaded with omicron cases.
Quebec recorded 4,571 new COVID cases on Monday and three new deaths. The CBC reported there are currently 397 people in Quebec’s hospital with COVID, including 82 in intensive care, although it is not clear if any of these involved the omicron variant or if were the result of the delta variant the emerged earlier in the year.
Quebec’s theaters were operating at 50% capacity over the weekend, according to a Deadline report. Other Canadian provinces including New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Ontario also had 50% capacity limits on their theaters.
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What Else Happened: Quebec’s provincial government also ordered the closing of concert venues, bars, gyms and spas. Professional sports teams will be able to play but cannot have spectators in their venues. Schools are closing early for the holiday season break and are not scheduled to reopen until Jan. 10.
“The outburst of cases is unbelievable,” Dubé said during a news conference Monday. “I ask everyone to be part of the effort.”
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