MONTREAL — A curfew meant to curb a rising tide of COVID-19 cases took effect across Quebec on Saturday evening. Premier Francois Legault says the measure is needed to prevent gatherings that have fueled the rampant spread of the virus, The French-speaking Canadian province has a population of more than 8.4 millionThe rules will see most residents face police questions or fines of up to $6,000 Canadian (U.S. $4,728) if they’re out between 8 p.m. and 5 a.m. for the next four weeks. There are exceptions for essential workers, people walking dogs, and those who have medical reasons to be out, such as a doctor’s appointment. ———TOKYO — Japanese opposition lawmakers slammed the government’s emergency declaration Sunday as too little too late to stem the surging coronavirus case. They also pushed for more testing, which has lagged in Japan, being expensive and hard to get unless severely ill.“It’s essential to consider the worst possible scenario, but the response has always been based on an overly optimistic outlook,” Yukio Edano, a former economy minister, said on broadcaster NHK TV.

Source: Daily Sun January 10, 2021 16:30 UTC