COVID-19 in Quebec: What you need to know Tuesday

The latest:

• Quebec has 39,225 confirmed cases of COVID-19, and 3,131 people have died, an increase since Monday of 118 113 of them in the greater Montreal region.
• There are 1,841 people in hospital (an increase of three) and 186 people in intensive care (a decrease of seven).
• Here's a guideto the numbers.
• Elementary schools and daycares outside the greater Montreal area reopened yesterday.
• A student at an elementary school in western Quebechas been removed from class after a relative tested positive for COVID-19.
• A new COVID-19 testing site will open in Laval today, at the Pierre-Creamer arena. It will be open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The premier wants you to wear a mask when you leave the house.

Franois Legault, along with Health Minister Danielle McCann and Public Health Director Horacio Arruda, arrived at theirnews conference Tuesday wearing masks for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic was declared two months ago.

Legault said he was wearing it to make a point: he hopes to see "as many Quebecers as possible" wearing a face-covering outside their homes.

"A great way to greatly reduce the contagion is to wear a mask. We strongly recommend that you do so," he said.

Get tested, officials say

Montreal, the epicentre of the outbreak in Canada,has 19,878recorded cases of COVID-19 and 2,003people have died.

Legault is urging people who live in hotspots, such as Montral-Nord, Rivire-des-Prairies, Montreal East and MercierHochelagaMaisonneuve, to get tested.

Two STM buses that have been turned into mobile testing siteswill in Montral-Nord, the hardest-hit neighbourhood on the island, on Thursday and Friday.

Mandatoryquarantine deterring women from seeking help?

Shelters for women and children in domestic violence situations say they need to be able to test people coming in.

Public health guidelines say women and children need to quarantine for 14 days before going to a shelter, but advocates say the rule is a huge deterrent to women who need to escape domestic violence.

They are callingon the government to give shelters priority access to COVID-19 tests.

• MORE |Shelters need access to COVID-19 tests to help victims of conjugal violence, advocates say

Other info you should know

People in Quebec's Cree communities say lessons learned from theH1N1 flu pandemic in 2009helped them prepare for COVID-19.

The federal government has announced a one-time payment of up to $500 to help seniors struggling financially because ofCOVID-19.

More post-secondaryinstitutions in Quebec say fall classes will be held online.