Quebec announces plan to reopen restaurants, cinemas in coming weeks
CBC
After weeks of being closed, restaurants, theatres and cinemas will soon be allowed to reopen in Quebec.
The Quebec government announced a loosening of several restrictions Tuesday, as hospitalizations slowly begin to come down from all-time pandemic highs.
Restaurants will once again be allowed to reopen at half capacity as of Monday, Jan. 31. Up to four people from four different addresses or a maximum of two family bubbles will be allowed to share a table.
The same numbers will apply to indoor private gatherings, which will be allowed as of next Monday after being banned since New Year's Eve, when the government introduced sudden, sweeping restrictions in an effort to curb the spread of the Omicron variant.
During the news conference, the premier said hospitalizations in the province were slowly going down, and there are reasons to believe they will continue to do so in the coming days.
"The idea is to go gradually," Legault said when describing the loosened restrictions.
"I understand that people are fed up, but we need to take a prudent approach."
Youth sports will also get a breath of fresh air.
As of Jan. 31, all extracurricular sports will be permitted in elementary schools, high schools, CEGEPs and universities. Participants over the age of 13 will have to show their vaccine passport.
Organized sports outside of school will be allowed only for Quebecers under the age of 18. A maximum of 25 participants will be allowed. Practices will be permitted but competitive matches are still on hold.
The Montreal Botanical Garden, the Biodôme, the Planetarium as well as cafeterias in ski chalets will also be allowed to reopen at 50 per cent capacity next Monday.
They all require a vaccination passport for access.
On Tuesday, the Quebec government reported a total of 3,278 hospitalizations. Health Minister Christian Dubé said the newest projections, that have not yet been shared publicly, will show that the number of people in hospital could drop to about 2,300 over the next two weeks.
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