The city of Montreal declared a state of emergency on Dec. 21, while Quebec and several other provinces are once against tightening COVID-19 restrictions in efforts to address the spread of the Omicron variant. Following Quebec Health Minister Christian Dubé’s Dec. 20 announcement of tougher COVID-19 measures, the largest city in the province announced a state of emergency, which would grant authorities additional power to access resources. “With the announcement made by Quebec yesterday, the city is giving itself the means to protect its essential workers while maintaining public services,” Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante said in a virtual news conference on Dec. 21. “We will be able now, with the state of emergency, to be proactive. We are more in charge, if I can say, in some decisions,” Plante said. Montreal lifted its previous 17-month state of emergency on Aug. 27. “I know the situation is difficult, but we’ve lived through …