Quebec plans to lift most pandemic restrictions by mid-March
CBC
Quebec Premier François Legault had one message for Quebecers Tuesday: it is time to learn to live with the virus.
"The population is fed up. I'm fed up. We're all fed up," he said. "But the reason we resisted [easing restrictions] until today was because there was too much risk."
"Right now, we can take a calculated risk and finally turn the page."
Legault announced that most of the province's restrictions will be lifted by mid-March, though mandatory mask mandates and the vaccine passport will remain – at least for now.
It's the latest in a series of reopening announcements, as the province steadily backs away from the mass shutdowns put in place in December due to the Omicron variant of COVID-19.
Legault said that hospitalizations in the province have gone down by more than 1,000 patients in the last few weeks, giving the health network enough breathing room to attempt a gradual reopening.
Home gatherings will no longer have any restrictions as of this Saturday, Feb. 12, though public health recommends having at most 10 people present, or three households.
"It will be up to each person to evaluate the risk," Legault said. "How many people am I with? How many got their third dose? How many are over 60 – what risk am I ready to take?"
WATCH | Premier François Legault outlines his plan to reopen:
In addition, restaurants will also be allowed to accommodate a maximum of 10 people per table as of Saturday. Currently, only four people, or two households, are allowed to sit together at a restaurant.
Organized sports matches, like hockey, will be allowed to resume as of Monday, Feb. 14. Gyms and spas, as previously announced, will also be allowed to open on that date. Legault said that tournaments, however, will only be allowed to restart two weeks later, on Feb. 28.
As of Feb. 21, all retail businesses will be allowed to reopen at full capacity. Places of worship will remain at 50 per cent capacity, but with a maximum of 500 people.
As of Feb. 28, working from home will no longer be mandatory when possible in the province. Large venues, like Montreal's Bell Centre, will be allowed to operate at 50 per cent capacity.
Bars, which have been closed since Dec. 20, will also be allowed to reopen as of Feb. 28. They will have to operate at 50 per cent capacity and sanitary restrictions will remain in place, including a ban on dancing and karaoke, until March 14.
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