Indoor dining, gyms can reopen in Outaouais May 31

A wide range of public health measures will be lifted in the Outaouais region and across Quebecin the coming days as the province begins a gradual reopening process.

Premier Franois Legaultannounced Tuesday the province is ready to moveforward with plans to reopen because ofincreasing vaccinations and an improving epidemiological situation.

The provincewide curfew that restricts movement between the hours of 9:30p.m. to 5a.m., in place since January, will be liftedon Friday.Dining onrestaurant patios and outdoor gatherings of up to eight people from two households on private property will also be allowed across the province that day.

TheOutaouais region,which includesGatineau,will join several other regions inmoving to the less strict"orange-alert" level of the province's pandemic framework onMonday, May 31, which will allow indoor dining to resume and gyms to reopen.

Moving to orangealso means that students in grades 9-11 will return to school full time, instead of attending every other day.Places of worship will be allowed to welcome 100 people with physical distancing measures in place, but weddings and funerals will be limited to 25 people.

"The numbers are good, the trend is good. We are seeing a decrease in cases, a decreasein hospitalizations. The testpositivity rate is at 2.3 per cent," Legaultsaid in Frenchat a news conference. "The vaccination team is continuing to do extraordinary work.Quebec is the top province for the percentage of the population that's received thefirst dose."

People in Quebec will also be allowed to travel between regions starting Friday, and large auditoriums,amphitheatres, as well asindoorand outdoor stadiums will be able to accommodate a maximum of 2,500 people in sections subdivided to hold250 people each.

Today's announcement comes one week after Legault announced areopening plan for the province. That plan anticipates thatbars will be able to open terraces for outdoor drinking on June 11. Outdoor sports and recreation activities will also be allowed, with a cap of 25 people.

By June 14, Legault said most regions will be at the yellow level,which meanspeople from two different households can gather indoors and bars can reopen.

Case counts in Quebec have fallen dramatically in the past month. The provincereported 346new cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday, while public health officials inthe Outaouaisreported 16 newCOVID-19 cases.

According to the CBC's vaccine tracker, 53.7 per cent of Quebec's population has received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine a number only surpassed by the Northwest Territories and Yukon.

For a full list of public health measures that apply in the orange zone, visit the Quebec government's website.