By Stéphane Lévesque, Local Journalism Initiative
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Faced with the spread of the virus which remains strong, François Legault announced a series of restrictive measures for the holidays during the long-awaited press conference at 5 p.m.
Thus, for non-essential businesses, they will be closed from December 25 to January 11. Grocery stores, pharmacies, garages and hardware stores may remain open. Out of fairness for small businesses, it will be prohibited for supermarkets to sell non-essential goods during this period.
The manufacturing sector remains open, but teleworking will be mandatory for office workers across Quebec.
In addition, the closure of primary schools is extended by one week. As for secondary schools, students will only come back in person on January 11. Childcare services remain open.
As for flexibility, with a maximum of 8 people plus a coach or referee, outdoor activities such as hockey or skiing will be permitted. Gatherings in the courtyards are however prohibited.
Also, another change, single people will be able to go in the bubble of another family. “A single bubble,” insists François Legault for whom, during this second wave, Quebec continues to do better than the United States and most of Europe.
“However, the virus is still very present in Quebec and some of our hospitals are at the limit of their capacity. We must give ourselves every opportunity to protect our health care workers and to break the second wave, ”said the Prime Minister.
In addition, Public Health is making temporary level changes which will be in effect from December 17 to January 11. Thus, all health regions in Quebec will move to the maximum alert level (red), with the exception of the regions of Abitibi-Témiscamingue, Nord-du-Québec, Côte-Nord, Grosse-Île and Îles-de-la-Madeleine, Nunavik and Terres-Cries-de-la-Baie-James which will be temporarily on the alert level (orange).
In the regions which will be in the red zone during this period, the population will have to temporarily respect all the measures applying to this level, in particular the prohibition of private gatherings.
We should add that a temporary ban on traveling to a region at the alert level (orange) will be in effect between December 17 and January 11.
Icimedias
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