GATINEAU, QUE. -- The Quebec government says the Outaouais region is one eight regions in the province that will move to the "orange" zone on Monday, as COVID-19 pandemic measures continue to loosen in the province.
Quebec announced 346 new cases of COVID-19 province-wide on Tuesday, with 16 in the Outaouais region, which includes Gatineau.
In a statement Tuesday, the regional health unit, the CISSS de l'Outaouais said the area would move to the Level 3 or "orange" zone as of 12:01 a.m. May 31 because of the "improved epidemiological situation."
This will allow restaurants to reopen their dining rooms with strict conditions, gyms to open for workouts, churches and other places of worship to offer services to up to 100 people (funerals are still capped at 25 people), and the return of full-time classes for secondary students, instead of every other day.
The Outaouais region moved to the "red" zone on May 17, allowing many non-essential businesses to reopen and students to return to class. Other measures will ease before the region moves to the orange zone. Starting this Friday, the nightly curfew will officially end, restaurant patios will be able to reopen, and small outdoor gatherings of up to eight people will be allowed.
As of May 31, restaurants in the Outaouais will be able to reopen their dining rooms, allowing a maximum of two adults from different households to sit at the same table and their children under the age of 18 may accompany them.
Occupants of the same private residence may sit together at the same table.
Outdoor terraces at bars are not slated to reopen until June 11 and bar activities remain suspended. Establishments are allowed to put on shows in the orange zone, but only if they are not serving alcohol. Food cannot be served during a show.
Contact-free sports and recreational activities will be permitted in all indoor public places that are open. Activities may be carried out alone, in pairs or with members of the same household. Private lessons given to one person or members of the same household are permitted. A distance of 2 metres must be maintained between the teacher and the students. Masks are mandatory in training rooms (gyms), including for the occupants of the same residence. Training rooms must also maintain a customer register.
Having visitors from another address remains prohibited in the orange zone, with exceptions for people who live alone, who are allowed to join one other household.
Ottawa remains under a stay-at-home order from the Ontario government, though some restrictions on outdoor activities were eased over the holiday long weekend. The first step of Ontario’s reopening plan is tentatively scheduled for June 14, which includes outdoor gatherings of up to 10 people, outdoor dining with up to four people per table and non-essential retail at 15 per cent capacity.
