Quebec Is Letting You & Your Friends Rent A Chalet For The Weekend Starting This Month

If you thought you had to rule out weekend trips with friends this summer, think again. The provincial Minister of Tourism, Caroline Proulx, took to Twitter to announce the good news that the government is going to let friends rent a Quebec chalet together once interior gatherings are allowed again. That will happen on June 22 in the Montreal area, the Joliette MRC, and L'Épiphanie, and June 15 everywhere else.

There will still be some rules, however. 

Indoor gatherings will be limited to a maximum of 10 people from a maximum of three different households.

The website of the Government of Quebec also states that "obviously, a distance of at least two metres must be kept between those people who are not from the same household."

Public health authorities have nevertheless given the go-ahead for gatherings in authorized tourist rentals, Proulx wrote.

A couple who does not live at the same address can also rent a chalet together, the government's reopening questions-and-answer page explains.

Non-essential travel between regions is still discouraged, but such trips are still possible under certain circumstances.

The government recommends that when travel to another region is "required," voyagers make their trip as direct as possible between their home and destination, limiting stops along the way.

Once they arrive at their rental, friends or couples will be able to participate in "tourist activities" like hiking, fishing, and outdoor sports, only "if they can respect at all times the measures of physical distancing and the rules relating to gatherings."

The government has acted quickly to reopen some of Quebecers' favourite summertime destinations and activities, like campsites, Sépaq parks, and outdoor BBQs.

Tourist rentals first opened outside of the Montreal metro area and the Joliette MRC on June 1.

Restaurants are also set to reopen on the same dates that interior gatherings are allowed.

It's time to start planning your summer weekend getaways with a handful of friends.

Campgrounds began to fill up quickly once they reopened. Quebecers will probably be itching to head out to the countryside.