You Could Be Fined Up To $6,000 If You Go To A Closed Location In A Quebec Red Zone

The government is cracking down on rule-breakers. On Wednesday, Health Minister Christian Dubé threatened fines of between $1,000 and $6,000 for anyone who visits a closed location in a Quebec red zone.

He underlined that those locations include gyms, restaurant dining rooms, bars, and movie theatres.

The minister's announcement comes after a tumultuous few days that saw a coalition of 200 Quebec gyms, fitness centres and studios plan to reopen on October 29, the day after the end of the first red-zone lockdown period, despite government orders.

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We have to break the wave.

Health Minister Christian Dubé

After Premier François Legault promised fines for gym owners and clients, the coalition scrapped those plans in favour of protests outside their closed doors on Thursday.

"The law needs to be respected," the premier said Monday.

There has also been some drama between the parties in the National Assembly this week.

In light of the gym owners' insistence on reopening, opposition leader Dominique Anglade on Tuesday said that the premier undermined "social peace" with what she called a lack of transparency about the government's COVID-19 response plan.

On Wednesday, Deputy Premier Geneviève Guilbault said Anglade's charge was "not responsible."

"It's all very well to want to play politics and then to want to score partisan points," she said.

"But I think that in the kind of context we're living in right now, in a health emergency, we must all act responsibly."