Coronavirus: What's happening in Canada and around the world on Sunday
CBC
The latest:
COVID-19 hospitalizations are ticking down in Canada's two most populous provinces, which are easing some restrictions as of Monday.
The number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 in Ontario has steadily declined from 4,016 on Wednesday to 3,019 on Sunday, amounting to a drop of 997 patients over four days.
The province reported that 587 patients were in intensive care due to the illness, down by 10 from Saturday.
Quebec marked its seventh straight day of declining hospitalizations linked to the virus. The province reported 2,895 patients in hospital with the illness on Sunday, down by 80 from the day before.
The province's Health Ministry said intensive care cases rose by two to 233 after trending down over the past week.
Ontario will lift some public health restrictions on Monday. Movie theatres, gyms, museums and indoor restaurant dining will be allowed to reopen at half capacity.
The province's three-step plan to stop the spread of COVID-19, which went into effect Jan. 5, will see restrictions lifted in phases until March 14.
Restaurant dining rooms in Quebec will be allowed to reopen at half capacity starting Monday. They've been closed since New Year's Eve. Up to four people from four different addresses or a maximum of two family bubbles will be allowed to share a table. However, restaurants will have to stop serving alcohol at 11 p.m. and will have to close at midnight.
The same numbers will apply to indoor private gatherings, which will be permitted after being banned since Dec. 31, 2021.
Extracurricular sports will also return in elementary schools, high schools, CEGEPs and universities on Monday. Participants over the age of 13 will have to show their vaccine passport.
Organized sports outside of school will be allowed only for those under the age of 18. A maximum of 25 participants will be allowed. While practices will be permitted, competitive matches are still on hold.
Entertainment venues and movie theatres will be allowed to open at 50 per cent capacity the following Monday.
With lab-based testing capacity deeply strained and increasingly restricted, experts say true case counts are likely far higher than reported. Hospitalization data at the regional level is also evolving, with several provinces saying they will report figures that separate the number of people in hospital because of COVID-19 from those in hospital for another medical issue who also test positive for COVID-19.
The Northwestern Health Unit has confirmed its first case of measles in the region since an alarming rise in the spread of the disease began across the province and country — even leading to temporary outbreak status in Ontario.