Quebec's eased COVID-19 restrictions go into effect today

Now that March Break is over, Quebec’s eased COVID-19 restrictions will go into effect across most of the province on Monday.

During a press conference last week, Premier François Legault says coronavirus cases have plateaued in the province. “There are no more increases in cases and hospitalizations,” he said.

The premier says the health network is too strained in Montreal and expects cases to rise due to the UK variant of COVID-19, keeping Montreal as a red zone.

Along with the Montreal metropolitan area, Laval, Montérégie, the Laurentians and the Lanaudière region, will also remain as red zones. The rest of Quebec has been downgraded to orange zones.

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Here is what’s permitted to reopen in orange zones, as of March 8. It should be noted that orange zone curfews have been extended to 9:30 pm nightly, instead of 8 pm.

• Gyms and fitness centres
• Restaurant dining rooms
• Event venues
• Indoor sport activities
• Arenas
• Cinemas and theatres
• Libraries
• Places of worship can increase to 100-person capacity

In terms of restaurants across orange zones, a maximum of two adults per table is permitted who may be accompanied by their children under the age of 18.

Restaurants must keep an attendance register and only customers with proof of residence in the same region as the restaurant are admittable.

Private indoor and outdoor gatherings at homes or cottages are still prohibited.

The government also does “not recommend” travel between regions, except for “essential travel, students, workers, shared custody, and freight transportation.”

Ce soir, on a annoncé que certaines régions allaient passer au palier orange dès lundi prochain. Si on veut que ça marche, c’est important de suivre les consignes. C’est important de ne pas se rassembler et de garder ses distances.

Voici un résumé des consignes diffusées 👉 pic.twitter.com/jZJPDAKmoe

— François Legault (@francoislegault) March 3, 2021

Legault says the vaccination of Quebec is “going well” but says the next few weeks will be “critical.”