COVID-19 in Quebec: What you need to know Monday

• On Monday, Quebec reported1,446people in hospital (a decrease of 10 from the previous day), including 94in intensive care (adecrease of four fromthe previous day).
• The province reported 845new cases of COVID-19 and sevendeaths.
• Since the start of the pandemic, there have been 921,877confirmed cases, and 13,981 people have died.
• The province also reported Monday a total of18,422,302doses of COVID-19 vaccines administered, including 8,376in the last 24 hours.
• 91 per cent of the eligible population in the province (agedfive and up) have received one dose of the vaccine;86 per cent have received two doses, and 51per cent have received three doses.

Starting today, sports tournaments will be allowed to resume in Quebec, bars are allowed to reopen, and working from home will no longer be mandatory, as the province moves into the next phase of its plan to lift most COVID-19 restrictions by mid-March.

Places of worship, funerals, and venues that accommodate 10,000 spectators or fewer no longer have any capacity limits.

Bars which hadbeenclosed since Dec. 20 can operate at 50 per cent capacity, with last call for food and alcohol at midnight and a closing time of 1 a.m. Customers must remain seated, with a maximum of 10 people per table, or the residents of three households.

Dancing and karaoke will remain banneduntil March 14.

Remote work

Working remotely for jobs that could be done from home is no longer mandatory.

Quebec's workplace health and safety board (CNESST) says masks willno longer be required in the workplace, provided there arephysical barriers between people or a distance of two metres can be kept between them. Masks must still be worn in common areas.

Long-term care homes

In long-term care homesand intermediate residences, up to 10 residents will be allowed to sit at the same table to eat.

Caregivers and visitors will once again be able to access common areas, not onlya resident's room.

Residentsare also allowed to receive a maximum of 10 visitors. The previous limit was two per day.

Travel restrictions

Canada is easingseveral travel measuresfor people entering the country.

As of today, people entering Canada can opt to take a rapid antigen test (generally under $100), which is typically cheaper than a moleculartest and more convenient, as results are available within minutes.

The Canada Border Services Agencyconfirmed on Friday that the test mustbe takenno more than one day before a traveller's departing flight or planned arrival at the land border.

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