MONTREAL — A COVID-19 testing operation was underway at a jail north of Montreal on Sunday following an outbreak that has infected more than 60 people.

A spokeswoman for the regional health board for the Laurentians said that, as of Saturday, 45 inmates and 17 workers had tested positive at the St-Jerome detention centre.

Melanie Laroche said inmates in certain blocks of the provincially run facility were tested in the middle of last week, but officials decided on Friday to expand screening to the entire jail.

She said testing of all the inmates wrapped up on Saturday, while employee testing is expected to be complete by Monday.

"We are also continuing our investigation and our support in the implementation of health measures," she wrote in an email.

The news came as the overall COVID-19 portrait in Quebec continued to trend in a positive direction, according to the province's health minister.

Quebec reported 1,457 new cases of COVID-19, as well as 41 additional deaths linked to the virus.

Hospitalizations declined for the fifth straight day, down by 56 to 1,327. Of those patients, 219 were in intensive care, an increase of three. 

Christian Dube said on Twitter that the numbers were "encouraging," but said Quebecers need to maintain their efforts to reduce cases, hospitalizations and deaths. 

Quebec Premier Francois Legault has credited the recent drop in new COVID-19 infections to the nightly curfew which came into effect two weeks ago.

The curfew, which is in place between 8 p.m. and 5 a.m., was added to a number of other health orders imposed in recent weeks, including asking people to work from home, banning gatherings and shutting non-essential businesses.

Montreal police said they'd intervened to break up more than 10 alleged illegal gatherings on Saturday after police heightened their presence in some boroughs to catch those breaking the rules.

Patrols were stepped up in the Plateau-Mont-Royal and Outremont boroughs after police had to disperse three large gatherings at places of worship, including synagogues, on Friday night and Saturday morning.

Two Jewish organizations, Federation CJA and the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA), issued a statement condemning the actions of "a small segment in the Hasidic community" involved in the gatherings in Outremont.

"An assault on police officers is criminal and inexcusable, as is referring to them as Nazis," read the statement.

The groups said the "organized Jewish community" has always supported the health regulations in place to fight COVID-19 and would continue to do so.

A total of 253,633 Quebecers have tested positive for COVID-19 and 9,478 have died since the pandemic began.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan 24, 2021

Morgan Lowrie, The Canadian Press