People in Montreal and Laval will have to wait a bit longer to dine indoors in a restaurant. While most of Quebec will be Orange Zones as of May 31st, Montreal and Laval, as well as a few small pockets of other regions, will remain Red Zones for an extra week until June 7th.

Quebec Premier François Legault made the announcement in a late afternoon press conference joined by Christian Dubé, Minister of Health and Social Services, and National Public Health Director Dr. Horacio Arruda. Arruda added that the government had planned on moving the whole province to Orange at the same time, but after speaking with local public health officials, decided to be a bit more cautious and wait the extra week.

Meanwhile, the curfew will still be lifted for everyone across Quebec this Friday and dining on restaurant terrasses will be permitted. Quebec’s overall re-opening plan announced last week is heading forward, only slightly altered.

In addition to indoor dining, people in Orange Zones can go to the gym and elementary and high school students return to in-person classes.

Meanwhile Dubé added that the province is hoping to make people’s second COVID-19 vaccine appointments earlier than scheduled. An announcement on this is expected next week.

As of Sunday (April 11), Montreal and Laval will join other Quebec Red Zones with a curfew once again running from 8pm to 5am. The government had moved the start time of the curfew to 9:30pm on March 17th.

Quebec Premier François Legault made the announcement late this afternoon in a press conference joined by Christian Dubé, Minister of Health and Social Services, and National Public Health Director Dr. Horacio Arruda. The Premier said that this is a preventative measure.

While transmission is still high in the Greater Montreal Region, cases haven’t spiked here to the extent that the government thought they would and to the extent that they have in other Red Zones such as Quebec City, Lévis and Gatineau, which are currently on lockdown. Unlike those parts of Quebec, schools in Montreal will remain open, although not on a full-time basis.

The government closed gyms in Montreal and Laval and announced it at this past Tuesday’s press conference.

Also announced on Tuesday: People taking part in outdoor group activities with people from different households such as walking or sports must do so masked. Of course, if you sit down outside, two meters apart, you can remove the masks.

Legault didn’t give a date for when these new restrictions would be eased.