A Quebec couple has been fined $1,212 (USD) for breaking the COVID-19 curfew. The female reportedly told police she was just out “walking her dog” — technically it was her husband on a leash. The province began its four week COVID curfew on Saturday, Jan. 9, 2021.
The government is hoping the curfew will help stem the surge of infections and hospitalizations. According to a Facebook post — created by Quebec’s Premier François Legault — the curfew orders are to prevent gatherings between households.
I consider the situation to be critical and in need of shock-treatment
Legault cited the situation in Montreal — the province’s largest city — was “really Critical. The hospitals there are nearing the point where they will not be able to treat all patients.
On January 11, the Quebec premier requested all residents to respect the social distancing rules.
I know it’s difficult, but Quebeckers are able to work as a team when necessary.
Recently Canada has seen a surge of COVID-19 contractions — almost 670,000 since the beginning of the pandemic. The COVID curfew begins every night at 20:00 or 8 p.m. and ends at 05:00 a.m.
The only reason a person can leave their house during that time period is to walk their dog. Of course, residents must stay near their homes when they walk their pets. Other exemptions are seeking medical treatment or to go to work.
According to Sherbrooke Police Department Officer Isabelle Gendron, the couple claimed they were following the rule for pets. Gendron informed the local newspaper in Quebec — La Tribune — the couple “did not co-operate with the police at all.”
During the first weekend of the curfew, Quebec police issued 750 tickets to people violating the curfew.
Written by Sheena Robertson
Sources:
BBC: Husband on leash breached Quebec’s Covid curfew
Aljazeera: Canada’s first provincewide COVID curfew coming into force
Featured Image Courtesy of Patrick Theiner’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
Inline Image Courtesy of Finding Josephine’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
