Quebec Is Banning Dancing, Karaoke & Office Parties Again

Well, it was fun while it lasted. Addressing spiking COVID-19 cases and the spread of the Omicron variant in Quebec, Premier François Legault announced that, as of Monday, "high-risk activities" including dancing, karaoke, and office parties will once again be "forbidden" in the province.

The ban on high-risk activities, which Legault said "bring outbreaks," is just one of the new measures the premier introduced at a press conference on Thursday evening.

Businesses and places of worship will also need to reduce their capacity to 50%, and expanded holiday gatherings are cancelled with the limit remaining at 10 people allowed in homes.

"We have to be able to reduce contacts," said Premier Legault. "Since the start, for 21 months, Quebec has been one of the places where the restrictions have been the most severe. We’re going to continue to do this. We’ll continue to make sure we react quickly."

Quebec reported 2,736 new COVID-19 cases on Thursday, the most in a single day since early January 2021.

On Wednesday, Montreal officials called on the population to exercise extra care in their application of public health advice ahead of the expected continuing increase in case numbers.

"The current situation in Montreal is not really what we were planning or expecting two weeks before Christmas," Regional Public Health Director Dr. Mylène Drouin said.

"I think it commands us to be more agile and resilient facing the Omicron situation."

Health Canada has a robust website with all the latest information on COVID-19 vaccines and can answer any questions you may have.