Touting the need for drastic action, Quebec became the first province to impose a curfew Wednesday as soaring COVID-19 infections across Canada intensified the strain on hospitals and prompted some Ontario morgues to run out of space.

Quebec’s premier pointed to the province’s overburdened hospitals as he announced a four-week curfew, to begin Saturday, that would bar people from leaving their homes between 8 p.m. and 5 a.m., unless they are going to work.

Francois Legault said he wants the measure — part of a broader series of restrictions presented Wednesday — to serve as an “electroshock” for Quebecers regarding the province’s dire situation.

Officials have been struggling to understand why Quebec’s caseload has continued to spike despite existing restrictions, and concluded they needed to crack down on gatherings in residences.

The bulk of Canada’s COVID-19 cases remain in Quebec and neighbouring Ontario, both of which have seen conditions deteriorating rapidly in recent weeks.

Canada has now seen close to 625,000 cases of COVID-19, about 16,300 of them fatal.

Compounding the picture was the still small but growing number of cases related to a novel coronavirus variant first found in the U.K. that is believed to be even more contagious than the original.

In her daily update, Dr. Theresa Tam, the country’s chief public health officer, said Wednesday that the appearance of new variants is more reason to scrap all but absolutely necessary travel.

Nevertheless, Transport Minister Marc Garneau lifted the ban on inbound flights from the U.K.

In the interim, the grim pandemic toll continued unbridled.

Quebec reported another 47 deaths from COVID-19, with 2,641 new cases and a rise in both hospitalizations and people in intensive care. It has recorded 217,999 COVID-19 infections and 8,488 related deaths since the beginning of the pandemic.

The curfew announced Wednesday comes with possible penalties for those found breaching the rules, including a fine of up to $6,000. The province acknowledged it can’t point to a scientific study on the effectiveness of curfews in limiting the spread of the virus, but said its goal is to reduce the possibility of contact and contagion.

All non-essential businesses that were ordered closed last month will remain shuttered until Feb. 8, the date the curfew is expected to lift. Elementary schools, however, will reopen as scheduled on Monday, with high schools to follow the week after.