Ottawa, Jan 1 (IANS): Canada is going through its worst spike in Covid cases, driven by the Omicron variant, with 41,210 new cases reported on Friday evening, an all-time high for daily cases since the pandemic hit the country in February 2020.

The latest cases raised the country's cumulative caseload to 2,183,527, with 30,319 deaths, Xinhua news agency reported citing CTV news.

Over the past weeks, the country's daily case count has been rising due to the rapid spread of the Omicron variant.

Ontario, the most populous province, reported a record-breaking number of 16,713 new Covid cases on Friday, while Quebec, another province, confirmed a record high of 16,461 cases.

Across the country, most provinces have delayed the full return to classrooms in January to allow public health experts to assess the impact of the Omicron variant and prevent a potential surge in cases fuelled by school children.

Quebec reintroduced a curfew starting December 31 as the province battles an explosive rise of Covid infections. People who violate the curfew are subject to fines ranging from 1,000 Canadian dollars ($790 US) to 6,000 Canadian dollars ($4,740 US).

Places of worship in the province are closed, except for funerals. Restaurant dining rooms are also closed, and stores are shut on Sundays for the next three weeks, except for gas stations and pharmacies.