Reopening of restaurants and resumption of sports from Monday

The sequence of the next stages of deconfinement is becoming clearer. Starting next Monday, a maximum of four people or the occupants of two residences will be able to rediscover the pleasure of sharing a meal together, at the restaurant, as at home, will announce François Legault.

According to information obtained by our Parliamentary Office, the reopening of restaurant dining rooms on January 31 will coincide with the resumption of sports among young people.

This is what Prime Minister François Legault should confirm at 2 p.m. during a press conference.

As reported on Saturday in the pages of Journal, two scenarios were on the table, either a reopening on January 31 or February 8.

The second would have allowed restaurateurs to be entitled to financial assistance after seven consecutive days of closure in the same month.

With the approach of the Super Bowl and Valentine’s Day, the exasperation of restaurateurs, who see employees leaving the profession, is increasingly felt.

In the houses, four people or the members of two bubbles can also share a meal.

These relaxations, eagerly awaited by the population, will come with several conditions.

As for civil and extracurricular sports for those under 18, only practices will be authorized at first.

The resumption of matches will therefore have to wait a little longer.

No calendar

In the major leagues, games will remain behind closed doors.

We must therefore forget the return of spectators to the Bell Center during the Canadiens’ games, at least for the moment, despite the pressure exerted by the organization.

Unless there is a change, cinema operators and theater artisans will also have to be extra patient before knowing a possible reopening date. Ditto for spa owners who are asking for relief.

A sign that the double trauma of the canceled holiday relaxations has left its mark, in high places, it is repeated that Quebec is working more on a sequence of deconfinement rather than on a calendar with specific dates.

Prudence

While many are calling for more predictability, François Legault will argue that caution remains in order, due to the number of hospitalizations which remains altogether too high to open the taps wider.

Glimmer of hope, at the very least: the downward trend continues, in particular in intensive care, where 10 fewer patients were identified in the balance sheet published yesterday.

– With the collaboration of Rémi Nadeau