Quebec Police Will Be Out On The Roads To Limit Travel Between Some Regions

Now that Montreal and other regions of the province have transitioned to maximum alert, the government has stressed that inter-regional travel is "not recommended" — and, starting this weekend, Quebec police will be out on the roads encouraging the public to comply.

Police officers will create "awareness points" on roadsides in parts of Quebec that are usually busy in the fall, a spokesperson for the Sûreté du Québec (SQ) confirmed in a statement to MTL Blog.

According to Hugo Fournier, these areas include the Eastern Townships, the Laurentians and Charlevoix.

Editor's Choice: Quebec Updated Its List Of Red Zone Business Closures

“

I need the collaboration of Quebecers so that there is as little contact as possible with people beyond those you live with

Premier François Legault, in a press conference October 2

"The objective of these awareness points is to limit travel between regions with different colour levels," said Fournier.

"To do so, our police officers will carry out various operations on the street network in order to educate motorists not to travel unless it is essential."

In a press conference on October 2, Premier François Legault said police will not be on a "witch hunt" to hand-out tickets, and that the goal of the awareness points is to alert drivers to the fact they are leaving the red zone.

However, Legault has also said red-zone residents who engage in non-red activities could be fined $1,000 to $6,000. 

Legault said there's no specific time period for the presence of the SQ on the roads. He said surveillance and signage will stay put for as long as necessary.