The Quebec government has unveiled a new regional Covid-19 alert and intervention system aimed at curbing the spread of the virus and preventing a possible second wave.
The colour-coded alert system was developed by public health and has four progressive levels for each region: green, yellow, orange and red.
The lowest color on the spectrum, green, calls for caution while red, the highest level, means that maximum restrictions will be applied in that area of the province. Yellow, which is level 2, is for an increased risk of transmission while orange (level 3) is for a "moderate alert" and would involve "new measures that target specific sectors of activity and settings where the risk of transmission is deemed higher."
The new system allows public health measures to be tightened in some regions without affecting others.
“Health measures will be associated with each level of alert,” public health officials say in a press release. “For example, for the yellow level, it is about strengthening basic health measures, while for the orange level, it is about limiting the number of people in private gatherings.
"With this system of alerts and regional interventions, our government has found the right balance: to ensure the maximum protection of the health of the population, while minimizing the impact of the measures on our society and our economy," said Minister Chrisitan Dubé.
"This is why we have developed a gradual approach adapted to the reality of the different regions of Quebec, and which is operationalized quickly."
"We are doing this so that our children can continue to go to school, to protect our seniors, to keep our health care workers safe, and to get our economy going," he concluded.
The new alert system comes as health authorities reported 163 new cases on Tuesday — a slight decrease in cases for the first time in about a week.
via the Canadian Press