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The government of Quebec on Friday advised residents to avoid all non-essential travel to or from Montreal and the Eastern Townships, two of the regions suffering the greatest number of COVID-19 infections.

Soon afterward, the city of Montreal declared a state of emergency, giving it the power to provide more care for its homeless population and for police to enforce social distancing. The decree does not involve cordoning off the island of Montreal, but officials said restricting movements both on the island, or to and from it, could happen if the situation worsens.

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The number of cases in Montreal climbed to 971 Friday, an increase of nearly 200 from the day before, accounting for 48 per cent of the province’s known infections.

The number of deaths from COVID-19 increased suddenly, with 10 new fatalities recorded in the province as of Friday, bringing the total to 18.

“I know it’s hard. When I found out this morning, 10 deaths in just one day, it’s hard,” Premier François Legault said. “And I was advised for several days this would be coming. But, still …”