On January 25, Premier Legault announced a few limited reopenings and measure relaxations. Quebec gyms were not among them.

Though Quebecers will be able to eat in their favourite restaurant dining rooms as of January 31 and attend concerts as of February 7, Legault said gyms could come later as part of an as-yet-undated "third stage" of reopenings.

Gyms, a topic some social media commenters seem to care singularly about, have been closed since December 20, 2021.

"I know that there are activities that are not mentioned, we're aware," the premier said at a Tuesday press conference, listing gyms, adult sports practice and spas as activities and spaces officials have been considering.

More reopenings, he said, would come "as soon as we're able to have a little more certainty on above all the situation in the hospitals."

Though the province has seen the total number of COVID-19 hospitalizations fall slowly since January 20, as of January 25, it's still well above the critical level four hospital occupancy level established by the Ministry of Health.

Legault said that uncertainty about the pace of a decrease in hospitalizations forced the government to proceed slowly when it comes to measure relaxations.

At the same time, interim National Public Health Director Dr. Luc Boileau has suggested that officials have favoured multiple, concurrent reopenings to ensure consistency across industries and health rules.

"All our measures need to be consistent," he said on Radio-Canada's Tout un matin on January 21. "There's hardship among many people who are in very different fields [...] we have to be able to gauge that at the same time."

This article's cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.