Bell Centre, other large events in Quebec now allowed to welcome up to 3,500 people
The Bell Centre will be allowed to welcome 3,500 fans for playoff games after the Quebec government announced Tuesday evening it got the green light from public health to relax some rules surrounding organized events.
Health Minsiter Christian Dubé shared the news on Twitter, saying it's "good news for the cultural community and Habs fans."
The previous limit on large organized gatherings was 2,500 people.
In a news release, the ministry of health said the easing of measures, which takes effect Thursday at 12:01 a.m., is due to "evolution of the epidemiological situation" and will apply to sporting events and shows indoors and outdoors. Large events will also have to be divided into groups of 250 people with clear separation to ensure people are safely distanced.
"This relaxation will also apply to drive-in parks located on the green level as well as to festivals and major events that will be authorized outside as of June 25," the release stated.
Earlier this week, the Montreal Canadiens formally requested an increase in capacity at the Bell Centre for home games during the playoffs now that the Habs have reached the semifinals.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Cargo ship had engine maintenance in port before Baltimore bridge collapse, officials say
The cargo ship that lost power and crashed into a bridge in Baltimore underwent 'routine engine maintenance' in port beforehand, the U.S. Coast Guard said Wednesday.
A Nigerian woman reviewed some tomato puree online. Now she faces jail
A Nigerian woman who wrote an online review of a can of tomato puree is facing imprisonment after its manufacturer accused her of making a “malicious allegation” that damaged its business.
Far North police 'dispatch' polar bear stalking schoolyard
Police and local hunters in an Ontario Far North First Nation community have “dispatched” a polar that was showing abnormal behaviour and treating the area as a hunting ground.
Donald Trump assails judge and his daughter after gag order in N.Y. hush-money criminal case
Donald Trump lashed out Wednesday at the New York judge who put him under a gag order that bars him from commenting publicly about witnesses, prosecutors, court staff and jurors in his upcoming hush-money criminal trial.
Families shocked after Niagara Falls hotel cancels bookings made year in advance of solar eclipse
After having the foresight to book their Niagara Falls hotel rooms more than a year in advance, several families planning to take in the solar eclipse next month were shocked to find out their reservations had been cancelled.
B.C. rescuers face 'high likelihood' of failure to reunite orphaned orca with pod
The race to reunite an orphaned orca calf that’s stuck in a shallow lagoon with a neighbouring pod has entered its fifth day, and a marine scientist says the clock is ticking.
Video shows police interrupting auto theft in progress outside Toronto home
New video footage obtained by CP24 shows the attempted theft of a vehicle in a North York driveway earlier this month that was ultimately interrupted by police.
Majority of Canadians believe in life after death: Angus Reid survey
A new survey from the Angus Reid Institute has found that a majority of Canadians believe in some form of life after death, a proportion that has held steady for decades.
MyPillow, owned by U.S. election denier Mike Lindell, formally evicted from Minnesota warehouse
A court ordered the eviction Wednesday of MyPillow from a suburban Minneapolis warehouse that it formerly used.