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

• Quebec reported 753new caseson Fridayand ninemore deaths. One previously reported death is no longer attributed to COVID-19.
• Since the start of the pandemic, there have been296,143confirmed cases and10,526people have died.
• There are550people in hospital (adecrease of 13), including 106in intensive care (adecrease of five).
• 28,910 doses ofvaccine were administered on Thursday. A total of 648,663people have been vaccinatedsinceDec. 14.

The Quebec government will allow gyms and indoor training facilities to reopenacross the provinceand relax rules for outdoor sports activities in orange zones, as of March 26.

The government is also loosening restrictions for placesof worship inred zones, allowing up to 25 people to gather as of March 26.The current capacity is 10 people maximum. People will be required to wear procedural masks and maintain a safe distance from each other.

Quebec is also reopening spas and indoor pools in hotels as of March 26.

The new sports guidelines were announced Friday byIsabelle Charest, the minister responsible for sports. She said theyare part ofaplanned, progressive return to normal conditions as Quebec's vaccination campaign advancesprovided the pandemic situation continues to improve.

In red zones, all indoor fitness facilities including gyms will be allowed to open, but they will need to keep a log of those who attend. People will be abletrain solo or with another person, or with multiple people from the same household.

Group outdoor sports and recreational training will remain open to a maximum of eight people in red zones but will increase to 12 people in orange zones. In orange zones, indoor activities will be allowed with up to eight people.

Participants must maintain the two metres of physical distancing for all activities, indoor and outdoor, regardless of zones, Charest said. Games between teams or schools remain off-limits in red zones but the rules will be relaxed for orange zones.

Meanwhile, people who are 65 and older on the island of Montreal can now reserve their spotfor a COVID-19 vaccine. Elsewhere in Quebec, only people who are at least 70 can book an appointment.

Yesterday was the one-year anniversary of the global pandemic, and the province marked the occasion by remembering the more than 10,500 people who lost their lives due to the disease.

"We lost grandpas and grandmas, dads, moms, brothers, sister, friends," Premier Franois Legault said during a ceremony outside the National Assembly building. His speech was followed by a moment of silence.

If you have been feelingisolated, we'vecompiledsome ways to help copeas part ofa special CBC Quebec project calledOut of the Dark: Real Talk on Mental Health.

Top COVID-19 stories today

• Montreal seniors knit colourful scarves to commemorate the lives lost in long-term care homes. of 251
• The family of a Montreal woman found dead on a hospital floor is seeking answers.
• Cte Saint-Luc grapples with Montreal's highest per capita COVID-19 case count
• Quebec community organizers warn that language, cultural barriers could fuel vaccine hesitancy.
• Here are some of the Quebec health professionals who are now administering vaccines.
• Families, athletes call for return of team sports in Quebec.
• In this opinion column, the writer arguesCOVID-19 has added to the educational barriers girls and women face around the world.
• Here's how to know if your kid has COVID and what to expect if they do
• The first order of business after 103-year-old Stanley Sepchuk's COVID-19 vaccine was to grab a glass of wine.