Legault Says The Government Will Soon Decide What To Do Once The 28 Days Are Up

At a press conference on Thursday, Premier François Legault said that the government still needs a few days to make a decision about what will happen after October 28, the date originally set as the end for some red zone restrictions.

With new cases still around 1,000 a day, the premier was hesitant to offer any clue about the planned end to red zone closures. 

He did say that his government would be prepared to give an answer next week but made clear that reopening poses risks.

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It's clear that right now, [...] we must not increase contacts, we must reduce contacts.

Premier François Legault 

He specifically addressed calls to reopen restaurant dining rooms.

"It's a question of risk," he said.

"There are people when they go to restaurants or any other activity, who are not always going to respect the two meters."

"If we decided tomorrow morning to reopen restaurants, we would increase the risks of the spread, and today it's the opposite that we have to do."

"We would have liked to see a decrease in the number of new cases," the premier continued.

"Our health network cannot bear the consequences of 1,000 new cases per day."

He also suggested that we're in for a difficult winter.

"Over the next few weeks and months, well, winter is coming, so more people will be indoors — the flu season. So, it's going to add up. It's not going to get better."

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