Some COVID-positive essential workers to continue working in Canada's Quebec -minister

A worker walks past a new extension of the National Research Council of Canada building under construction, in Montreal, Quebec, Canada February 4, 2021. REUTERS/Christinne Muschi

(Reuters) - Quebec, the second most populous Canadian province, has "no choice" but to allow some essential workers to continue working even after testing positive for COVID-19 to prevent staff shortages from impeding its healthcare services, Health Minister Christian Dube said Tuesday.

Quebec, which has been setting daily records since the Omicron variant started a new wave of rapidly rising infections, recorded 12,833 new cases on Monday - the highest one-day count of any region in Canada during the pandemic.