While that's far from the peak of around 1,000 new cases per day the province saw two months ago, public health officials are nevertheless concerned. .

At Monday's news conference in Montreal, Legault pointed out that unlike at the height of the first wave, the new cases are turning up almost entirely in the general population, as opposed to in long-term care homes. .

The increase has coincided with the reopening of bars and nightclubs in the Montreal area.

Health officials in the city have linked nine bars to about a dozen cases.

With the number of new cases headed in the wrong direction, Legault's announcement that, starting Saturday, masks will be mandatory in enclosed public spaces — like stores, bars and restaurants — came as little surprise. .

Which raises the question of why bars and nightclubs were allowed to reopen in the first place, especially given Montreal has been the Canadian epicentre of the pandemic.

There are widespread concerns — not just in Quebec but across North America — that elected officials have jeopardized the return of children to classrooms this fall by seeking to salvage a nightlife in the summer.

The argument, stated roughly, is that as major drivers of transmission, bars, nightclubs and parties could cause a big enough spike in COVID-19 cases to warrant keeping schools closed even longer.

In Quebec, only elementary school children outside the greater Montreal area were able to return to classrooms this spring.

As it stands, Quebec's plan is to have children return to classrooms in the fall, though with several restrictions. .

Education Minister Jean-François Roberge, for instance, has warned that students in Grades 10 and 11 may have to do some of their schooling online if the public health situation worsens. .