Montreal’s director of public health says a worrying trend is emerging in the second wave of COVID-19 cases in the city — a growing share of new cases are people aged 65 and older.

Public health is asking Montrealers to keep their distance from their older family members, even if they live in the same home.

“We see that it is quite different from what we were seeing in the first wave,” said Dr. Mylène Drouin, the public health director for Montreal. Last spring, most of the older Montrealers who caught COVID-19 were infected in long-term care homes.

The difference today is that about half of cases in those aged 65 and over are people living in their own homes or in private seniors’ residences.

Drouin said this means that parents should make alternative childcare arrangements and refrain from having family dinners for now.

“Maybe it is not secure to