Montreal gyms to close again; Grades 9–11 return to online learning half the week

UPDATED Thursday, April 8: During one of the Quebec government’s 5 p.m. press conferences on Tuesday, Premier François Legault announced that gyms and other indoor sports facilities will be closing again as of this Thursday, April 8 in Montreal, Laval, Laurentides, Lanaudière and Montérégie. The curfew will hold steady at 9:30 p.m. for now.

In these same red zones, gatherings in churches and other religious establishments will be limited to a total of 25 people, also as of Thursday.

And as of next Monday, April 12, high school students in Grades 9 through 11 will return to online learning one day out of two.

Legault said these restriction tweaks are being implemented to prevent the spread of COVID-19 variants from spiralling out of control.

The new restrictions follow not only a general increase in the average in new COVID-19 cases across the province, but a major gym outbreak in Quebec City that resulted in 419 cases of COVID-19. Yesterday one client of the gym died of the virus.

Another 5 p.m. press conference is happening today. Legault is likely to announce new restrictions for some regions outside Montreal, notably in Quebec City, where cases have spiked.

---

For the latest news updates, please visit the News section.