1) Authorities confirmed Monday what many suspected: Montreal is now in a second wave with 53 #COVID19 outbreaks. In this thread, I’ll call for more restrictions to lower viral transmission in a city that appears to again have become the epicenter of the #pandemic in Canada.

2) The rapidity of the spread of the #coronavirus in Montreal cannot be overstated. In a just week, the number of #COVID19 outbreaks in city schools has doubled to 14, including at Herzliah High, which has closed until Oct. 5. Outbreaks have also hit 28 workplaces.

3) What’s more, clusters of #COVID19 cases have been observed in two daycares and six eldercare homes. Young workers appear to be driving the transmission of the highly contagious pathogen, a much different situation than during the first wave.

4) Officially, the city has counted 507 #COVID cases since Friday. But the director of the Montreal public health department cited different figures that total at least 560. In a sign of the gravity of the situation, Montreal has activated its #pandemic command centre.

5) Early Monday morning, I received a text revealing that the Jewish General Hospital now has five patients on ventilators in its intensive-care unit. My knowledgeable source used an exclamation point (!) to highlight the fact that patients are back on ventilators.

6) Rising hospitalizations is a sign the #pandemic may be taking a turn for the worse. Since Sept. 4, Quebec has recorded a net increase of 54 hospitalizations, a far cry from the hundreds during the #pandemic’s first wave, but a trend nonetheless.

7) Montreal’s rolling seven-day average rose to 56.52 #COVID cases per million population from 50.8 Saturday. The city’s daily total on Sunday of 219 cases was higher than Toronto’s 175. The last time Montreal posted a higher number was on May 28: 227. See the chart below.

8) At the neighborhood level, Côte-des-Neiges, downtown Métro and Parc-Extension grabbed the lion’s share of #COVID19 cases: 54, up from 34 the day before. The centre of the city has apparently become a #COVID hot zone, but the #coronavirus is circulating everywhere.

9) Although Montreal hasn’t declared any #COVID19 deaths in nine days, we know from experience that authorities will likely add fatalities retroactively. Mayor Valérie Plante noted Montreal’s #pandemic death toll of 3,476 is higher than those who perished in the 9-11 attacks.

10) Plante also warned that Montreal, which is now in an orange zone, could move to red. Plante said she’s preparing herself psychologically for that possibility. If that’s what could happen, why isn’t the city imposing more restrictions to limit the spread of the #coronavirus?

11) Why are bars still open? Why haven’t all public gatherings been reduced to 25 in the city? Why won’t the government heed the pleas of parents and teachers to require students to wear masks in the classroom? This perilous moment calls for swift, tough action. End of thread.