Quebec bars and restaurants to operate at full capacity as of Nov. 1
As of Nov. 1., Quebec's bars and restaurants will be able to operate at full capacity, the province announced Thursday.
Current COVID-19 restrictions allow establishments to fill to a maximum of 50 per cent.
According to a press release from the Quebec government, bars will not only be able to pack a full house but will also be permitted to stay open until 3 a.m. instead of 2 a.m.
They'll also be allowed to distance tables by one metre instead of two, and maximum of 10 people or the occupants of three private residences may gather per table.
But for karaoke and dance enthusiasts, the updated rules may not be entirely satisfying; the ban on dancing and singing remains in effect until further notice.
Nevertheless, the new restrictions are a sigh of relief for the bar and restaurant industry, which has suffered considerably as a result of the pandemic.
Kimberlie Doucet, general manager of Ye Old Orchard pub in Monkland, told CTV News she's thrilled by the news.
"[We're] a little nervous, because we haven't been at full capacity in like two years now, so we don't know what that's going to bring. But [we're] excited to get people a little more back to normal for sure," she said.
Doucet said that, due to the current capacity limits, the pub frequently has to turn patrons away.
"Especially now with the terrasse [season] being pretty much over, we're going to need that extra space."
Large venues such as the Bell Centre were permitted to operate at full capacity beginning on Oct. 8, prompting outrage among bar owners, who accused the government of enforcing a double standard.
Doucet said it's about time the bar and restaurant industry be given the same freedoms.
"It's not about public safety at this point, it's just about them getting what they want in terms of the Canadiens playing and the Bell Centre making all their money, but we're kind of always the last to come back to normal," she said.
The new health measures will still require patrons to wear masks and present their vaccine passports when entering bars and restaurants.
"Minimal distancing and basic prevention measures remain essential. We are moving cautiously towards a return to normality, but caution is required," reads a quote from Health Minister Christian Dube included in the press release.
'TODAY, WE'RE HAPPY': BAR OWNERS' ASSOCIATION
The restaurant association of Quebec, the ARQ, said the loosening of restrictions will allow their businesses to finally begin "a return to normality."
"They have been rigorously applying all the sanitary measures for months. I can tell you that I was very anxious for them to be able to take advantage of the relaxations," Martin Vézina, ARQ's director of public and governmental affairs, told The Canadian Press.
Renaud Poulin, president of the Corporation des propriétaires de bars, brasseries et tavernes du Québec agreed.
“Today, we’re happy. It’s a good step in the right direction,” he told CTV News Thursday.
He said bars have been closed for nine of the last 18 months and have taken a serious hit to their bottom line by not being able to operate at full capacity.
“For us it’s … a bit of fresh air. We’re getting back to what a bar is,” Poulin said.
He said his organization will be in talks next week with public health to discuss the next thing on his wish list: allowing dancing in bars and karaoke.
-- With files from The Canadian Press.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
'One of the single most terrifying things ever': Ontario couple among passengers on sinking tour boat in Dominican Republic
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their 'extremely dangerous' experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.
Boeing's financial woes continue, while families of crash victims urge U.S. to prosecute the company
Boeing said Wednesday that it lost US$355 million on falling revenue in the first quarter, another sign of the crisis gripping the aircraft manufacturer as it faces increasing scrutiny over the safety of its planes and accusations of shoddy work from a growing number of whistleblowers.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
It's no secret that spring can be a tumultuous time for Canadian weather, and as an unseasonably mild El Nino winter gives way to summer, there's bound to be a few swings in temperature that seem out of the ordinary. From Ontario to the Atlantic, though, this week is about to feel a little erratic.