Quebec Is Closing Restaurant Dining Rooms Once Again

Say goodbye to your favourite restaurant for a while. As of December 31, Quebec restaurant dining rooms will be closed. Delivery and takeout will still be allowed, though.

Premier François Legault made the announcement at a press conference Thursday.

In addition, the province is imposing a new curfew, from 10:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m., which will also take effect on December 31. The last curfew in Quebec lasted for more than four months, from January to May 2021.

Quebec reported 14,188 new COVID-19 infections on December 30, surpassing the 14,000 daily case barrier for the first time and breaking a record set just 24 hours before, when the province reported 13,149 new cases. That record itself was only a day old.

There were also a total of 939 active hospitalizations reported on December 30, a net increase of 135 from the previous day.

The province has already unleashed a sometimes dizzying flurry of new health measures in recent weeks. Bars, gyms and many venues have been closed since December 20. On December 26, Quebec reduced the number of people allowed to gather indoors on private property from 10 to six. Earlier in the month, officials cancelled a plan to increase that number to 20 for the holidays.

The quick succession of new rule announcements demonstrates how rapidly the COVID-19 situation has evolved. As recently as December 16, Premier Legault said that while he wouldn't completely rule out a new curfew, it was not among the measures under immediate consideration.

By December 22, just six days later, officials were reportedly discussing nightly restrictions on travel outside the home.

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