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Quebec Premier François Legault says movie theatres and indoor sports facilities across the province will be allowed to reopen during March break, but the rest of the province’s red-zone restrictions will stay in place in all but one region.
The Outaouais will be downgraded to an orange zone, Legault said on Tuesday afternoon. As for the rest, residents can expect restaurant dining rooms to stay closed and the 8 p.m. curfew will remain in place.
“The pandemic is not over,” Legault said. “There are still some significant risks.”
He said cinemas, sports arenas and indoor pools will be open on Feb. 26 to allow parents to enjoy activities with their children, but people must respect public health measures.
There will be no roadblocks between regions, he said, as police will focus on ensuring there are no gatherings at private homes.
People will be allowed to gather in groups of eight, or two families, for outdoor activities, but Legault said people are not allowed to be rent chalets or hotel rooms with other family bubbles.
Legault reiterated that any type of indoor gathering is strictly prohibited, and tickets will be issued. Police have been issuing about 1,000 tickets per week, he said.
“We have a few difficult weeks ahead of us,” Legault said. “Spring is coming. But if we want a beautiful spring, we have to be careful.”
He said there have been a growing number of COVID-19 variants that are more contagious, and public health officials are concerned these new strains of the virus will spread.
Meanwhile, Legault said the recent drop in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations is encouraging, but surgeries and other treatments are still being delayed. At the same time, he said nurses and other medical staff are exhausted.
Quebec reported 669 new cases of COVID-19 and 20 more deaths on Tuesday, including six in the past 24 hours. The number of new cases was the lowest in months, and hospitalizations have dropped by 33.
The concern is that, if people do not respect the public health rules during March break, there will be another upsurge in cases. That is why so many restrictions, such as the curfew and the closure of restaurants, must stay in place, Legault said.
Quebec’s public health director, Dr. Horacio Arruda, said the success of public health measures is dependant on the population.
“We should not see a significant increases in cases if people respect the rules,” said Arruda. “It always depends on the respect of the measures. It’s not just March break that is dangerous. It’s the behaviour of the people.”
Arruda said this relaxing of the regulations will be monitored and re-evaluated. It is too soon to say if the rules will stay relaxed, he said.
Citing the expected expansion of the vaccine campaign in the coming weeks, the health director said the end of the struggle is nearing, but this is not time to slack off on the rules.
“We’re in the last kilometres of the marathon,” Arruda said. “Right now, we are concentrating on spring break.”
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