On Friday the federal government announced new restrictions to international travel by land and air in the hopes of helping to contain the spread of new variants of COVID-19.
Effective Feb. 15, all travelers arriving by land, with some exceptions, will be required to provide proof of a negative COVID-19 test result taken in the United States within 72 hours of arrival, or a positive test taken 14 to 90 days prior to arrival. As of Feb. 22, travelers entering Canada at the land border will be required to take a COVID-19 test on arrival, as well as toward the end of their 14-day quarantine.
Also as of Feb. 22, 2021, all travelers arriving in Canada by air, with some exceptions, will be required to take a COVID-19 test when they arrive in Canada before exiting the airport, and another toward the end of their 14-day quarantine period. With limited exceptions, air travelers will also be required to reserve a three-night stay in a government-authorized hotel prior to departure to Canada. These new measures are in addition to existing mandatory pre-boarding and health requirements for air travelers. All travelers, whether arriving by land or air will be required to submit their travel and contact information, including a suitable quarantine plan, electronically via ArriveCAN, a mobile application, before crossing the border or boarding a flight.
The Province of Quebec recorded 910 new cases of COVID-19 on Sunday, bringing the total number of people infected to 276,790, with 10,306 cases considered active. The data also reported 15 new deaths, bringing the total number of deaths linked to the virus so far to 10,214. The number of hospitalizations decreased by seven compared to the previous day, for a cumulative total of 805. Among those, the number of people in intensive care increased by two, for a total of 132. The tests conducted on Feb. 12 amounted to 28,404 for a total of 6,287,664 so far. Finally, 1,561 doses of vaccine were administered on Saturday (the last day for which data were available), for a total of 293,944 to date out of the 310,425 doses the province has received.
In the Eastern Townships, the local public health authority recorded 31 new cases on Sunday, once again spread across all territories. As of this writing there are 395 cases considered active in the region, distributed among local health networks as follows: 60 in la Pommeraie, 86 in the Haute-Yamaska, 43 in Memphrémagog, 13 in Coaticook, 101 in Sherbrooke, 43 in the Val Saint-François, six in the Asbestos area, 11 in the Haut-Saint-François, and 32 in Granit. Looked at in relation to each area’s population, the Granit, Val Saint-François, and la Pommeraie areas are the hardest hit at the moment, with 150.2, 136, and 106 cases respectively per 100,000 people. Although the number of cases is highest in Sherbrooke, the city actually shows the third lowest rate of infection after Asbestos and the Haut-Saint-François at this point in time.
The number of deaths linked to the virus in the Estrie Region climbed to 294 over the weekend, with the most recent reported on Sunday being two from the Excelsoins Residence in the Town of Brome Lake, and one at the Brunswick residence in Richmond. Local hospitalizations numbered 21 on Saturday, with an additional three people in intensive care. According to provincial figures, 11,985 doses of vaccine have been administered in the Eastern Townships so far.
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