L’estrie will be transitioning from zone red to orange starting Monday, March 8.

With this transition, restaurant dining rooms, gyms and performance halls are permitted to open but the openings come with strict rules and regulations.

In order to be seated at a restaurant, reservations must be made in advance. Only two adults, from the same addresses, with children under 18 years of age, may be seated together with a maximum of six occupants per table. Citizens are only able to enjoy sitting in restaurants within their region of residence: addresses will be checked as well as recorded in the case occupants need to be contacted.

Police have the right to enter a restaurant at any time to verify people are allowed to be there and that the correct precautions are being taken. Failure to follow the rules will result in fines given to both the citizens and the restaurant owners.

In addition, regional curfew will also be pushed back to 9:30 p.m.

While some are excited by the news or reopening, some have expressed concerns with the announcement. One of the concerns is that Premier Francois Legault re-opened the province before witnessing the impacts of spring break on the COVID-19 case numbers. Spring break officially ends on March 7. Some also fear that the Eastern Townships will once again see the migration of people from the red zones to enjoy open amenities.

There has also been an increasing number of positive cases being recorded. Over the past 24 hours, there has been an increase of 707 positive cases. This brings the total of active cases in the province to 7,336.

Vaccinations are rolling out across the province. Approximately four per cent of the population in L’estrie have received the vaccine. Currently, citizens aged 80 years and older are eligible to be vaccinated. While citizens are receiving the first dose of the vaccine, the provincial government announced the second dose can be delayed up to four months as opposed to the recommended 28 days.

Quebec plans to receive 800,000 doses of the vaccine in March. Pharmacists are able to help vaccinate in pharmacies starting March 15.

Here is Premier Francois Legault: