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People wait to be tested for COVID-19 at a clinic in Montreal, on Aug. 1.
Graham Hughes/The Canadian Press
The Quebec government is recommending that companies delay plans to return employees to offices until the COVID-19 situation in the province improves.
The Health Department said today in a news release it would be more prudent to wait before asking employees to stop working from home because of the heavy presence of the Delta variant in Quebec and because the province is in a fourth wave of the virus.
It says a large proportion of outbreaks across the province during preceding waves occurred in workplaces.
Meanwhile, Quebec is reporting 550 new COVID-19 cases today after reporting 345 Tuesday.
Health officials say the overall number of COVID-19-related hospitalizations rose by eight across Quebec, to 110, and 33 people were in intensive care, a rise of four. Health Minister Christian Dube told a radio station in Montreal this morning that 19 people had entered hospital in the past 24 hours.
The province says it administered 26,748 doses of COVID-19 vaccine Tuesday, and Quebec’s public health institute says about 78.8 per cent of Quebecers over 12 are adequately vaccinated.
The smartphone applications that will run Quebec’s vaccine passport system are available today for download by Apple users.
Starting Sept. 1, residents 13 years old and up will be required to show proof of vaccination to access businesses the government deems non-essential, such as gyms, bars and restaurants.
Residents have been e-mailed a quick response code by the Health Department as vaccination proof, which can be linked to the application, while businesses will be required to download a special application to read the codes.
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