1) Montreal posted a daily average of 30 #COVID cases since Thursday despite Quebec falling to fourth place among provinces in the number of screening tests it conducts. In this thread, I'll explain the potential fallout of reopening bars on #coronavirus transmission in the city.

2) Quebec’s decision to resume daily #COVID updates after four days following a public outcry has given us added perspective. The broken orange line below shows a total increase of 121 cases. One would have expected a lower average than 30 new cases a day. This is not reassuring.

3) What’s disappointing, if not disturbing, is that Quebec is now testing fewer people for #COVID per capita than Ontario, Alberta and Prince Edward Island. (See the chart below.) I reiterate: how can we keep track of the #pandemic if we’re testing less?

4) At the neighborhood level, Villeray—Saint-Michel—Parc-Extension recorded the most #COVID cases since Thursday: 24. It’s likely most of those infections occurred in the community, since the city’s nursing homes have observed few or no new cases for days. (See the chart below.)

5) As I’ve written before, #COVID19 now appears to be spreading mostly in the community in Montreal, although in much lower numbers than in April. What’s more, the percentage of younger people catching the #coronavirus in the general population is rising.

6) On April 15, 17.1% of those testing positive for the #pandemic illness in Quebec were aged up to 29. By Monday, that percentage climbed to 20.4%. Since last week alone, it’s inched up three-tenths of one per cent. Other jurisdictions are noting similar trends.

7) As we know, Quebec allowed bars to reopen last Thursday after some drinking establishments threatened to reopen anyway. And it’s mostly the younger crowd that frequents bars. So what has the experience been like in other cities and states?

8) On Sunday, California's governor closed bars again in Los Angeles and six other counties after a resurgence in #COVID cases. In Vancouver, multiple visitors to a strip bar tested positive after the club was found “skirting the rules in some ways,” authorities revealed today.

9) The Institut national de santé publique released new #COVID projections Monday. As the chart below shows, the INSPQ is warning of a possible ramp-up in cases by September in the Montreal region if people flout #PhysicalDistancing measures. Could that happen in the city's bars?

10) Premier @francoislegault is set to announce Tuesday mandatory face coverings for public transit — a long overdue move. But masks should also be mandatory in stores. And at the very least, authorities must keep a close eye on what’s going on in the city’s bars. End of thread.