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ALREADY A MONTH OF PROGRESSIVE DECONFINEMENT FOR QUÉBEC CITY'S REAL ESTATE MARKET Marie-France Benoit Senior Director Strategic Development Altus Expert Services
While the COVID-19 pandemic has forced the Québec government to extend several emergency health measures for the hard-hit Montréal region, phased deconfinement has been progressing as planned over the last month in the National Capital Region, giving us a glimpse of what recovery of activity looks like. Faced with a curve of cases under control, non-essential businesses have been able to reopen since May 4th. One week later, elementary schools and daycare services welcomed schoolchildren on a volunteer basis. Also, on May 11th, non-essential retailers with direct access outside opened their doors. On June 1st, shopping centres and personal services businesses were able to resume their activities, applying the physical distancing and disinfection measures that we will have to get used to in order to regain a semblance of our pre-COVID life.
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One month later, the different steps towards deconfinement have not spurred a surge in new cases. Since the beginning of the pandemic, the provincial capital region has accumulated less than 1,700 cases of contagion and 140 lives have been lost. In the administrative region of Chaudière- Appalaches, which includes Lévis on the south shore of Québec City, the number of confirmed cases is approximately 500 and the number of deaths was 8. The two regions account for only 4.1% of confirmed cases and just under 3.0% of deaths, which is low considering their combined demographic weight of 13.5% of the Québec population. Three months into the pandemic, these relatively low number of cases seems to be giving the population a (false?) sentiment of safety and economic activity has been recovering more enthusiastically than many would have expected a couple of months ago. Canadian Real Estate Forums / SPRING 2020
