Ontario declared itself in the grips of a second COVID-19 wave and Quebec appeared on the verge of moving its most populous regions to a maximum alert-level on Monday as both provinces grappled with rising caseloads.
Premier Doug Ford said the 700 new cases reported in Ontario — the highest daily increase since the start of the health crisis — were "deeply concerning" and warned this round of the pandemic could hit harder than the first.
"We know that this wave will be more complicated, more complex," he said, again entreating residents to follow public health guidelines meant to help contain the spread of the virus.
The public's willingness to adhere to those guidelines will determine if this is "a wave or a tsunami," he said.
Most of the new cases in Ontario are in the Greater Toronto Area and Ottawa.
Big cities are also proving to be hot spots in Quebec, where new cases of COVID-19 have spiked in recent days.
The province's health minister told Radio-Canada talk show "Tout le monde en parle" on Sunday that the situation in Montreal and Quebec City has grown alarming.
Christian Dube said both cities would soon enter the maximum-alert red level under the province's COVID-19 colour-coded system.
Quebec reported 750 new COVID-19 cases on Monday, as well as one additional death linked to the virus. On Sunday, it recorded 896 new cases of COVID-19 — its highest single-day jump in months.
Premier Francois Legault has called a news conference for this afternoon.
Officials in both provinces have hinted at the possibility of additional restrictions in the areas experiencing a surge in cases but suggested there would not be a return to the widespread lockdowns imposed earlier this year.
While Ford said Monday that "everything is on the table" when it comes to flattening this second curve, Ontario's chief medical officer of health said the province would take a "surgical" approach in addressing mounting cases in a few regions.
According to the Quebec government's website, the maximum alert level involves targeted measures that "could extend to prohibiting non-essential activities" but would avoid the "generalized confinement" of the first wave as much as possible.
Ontario and Quebec have been the hardest hit by COVID-19, representing close to 80 per cent of all cases in Canada.
Manitoba reported 39 new cases on Monday - 22 of them in Winnipeg, which has recently seen a spike in cases. The province has also recorded its 20th death linked to the virus.
Meanwhile, the federal government's efforts to fast-track its newest COVID-19 economic recovery package stirred outrage from the opposition, who argued the Liberals forced the issue by proroguing Parliament last month.
The proposed package would establish more flexibility to qualify for employment insurance and set up three new benefits for Canadians who won't qualify for EI but are still grappling with the economic fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The new program aims to fill the gap left by the end of the Canada Emergency Response Benefit, which took effect in the spring and expired over the weekend.
Last week, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau pleaded with the public to respect public health guidelines, as Canada's top doctor said the country is "at a crossroads" when it comes to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The federal government also warned last week that short-term lockdowns may be necessary to prevent small clusters of cases from turning into large outbreaks.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published on Sept. 28, 2020.
Paola Loriggio, The Canadian Press
