No more queues, no more vaccination passports, discarded plexiglass: Quebecers will return to a more normal life, starting Saturday, with the end of the majority of health measures.
• Read also: Mandatory mask wearing may end at the end of March
From midnight tonight, two days earlier than planned, it will no longer be necessary to present the vaccine passport to access public places, such as restaurants, cinemas and gyms. Since February 16, citizens no longer had to present the vaccine passport to enter supermarkets, as well as the SAQ and the SQDC.
“It’s high time we moved on. We have to learn to live with the virus, ”shares François Joyet, owner of the Bagel Maguire café-restaurant, in Quebec.
New chapter
“We did what we had to do. It’s finish. That’s itadds Louis McNeil, co-owner of Cosmos restaurants, also in Quebec, who wants to move on to a new chapter.
“The person who will be happy is the one who was not vaccinated and who will be able to come to the restaurant,” he added.
Shops no longer have restrictions on the capacity and the number of customers per table (see box).
“It’s less responsibility. The mental load became great. The measures have changed so often,” says Anne Barsalou, owner of La Banquise, rue Rachel, in Montreal.
Photo Chantal Poirier
Anne Barsalou, owner of La Banquise, in Montreal, points out that the mental load imposed on restaurateurs had become heavy to bear, with all the sanitary measures to be applied.
The return to normal will be done gradually, however, explains Mr.me Barsalou, who has to deal with the labor shortage.
“We want it to happen as quickly as possible, but we are going at the pace of recruitment. It is not because we say that tomorrow morning it will be 100% capacity that we are able to do that, because that is not the reality of the market at present. We are still missing between 20 and 30 employees,” she said.
Like before
In addition to wearing the mask which remains for staff and customers when they move, we will find the restaurants as we knew them before March 2020, rejoices Martin Vézina, vice-president of public and governmental affairs at Association Restauration Québec (ARQ ).
Whether or not to maintain the plexiglass will be up to the owners of the establishment since there will no longer be an obligation to maintain a distance of one meter between the tables.
“They can put them away. Perhaps not destroy them, if ever another variant comes back,” adds Mr. Vézina.
The pandemic has left its mark in this sector as elsewhere. The number of restaurant permits issued by MAPAQ between February 2020 and January 2022 decreased by 3,720, which represents 17% of the industry.
“It was demanding. It was income limits. This resulted in greater indebtedness of operators who, to finance the closure cycles, had to seek new loans from the government or the private sector. So, it hurts, ”added Mr. Vézina, who hopes that this time is the right one.
The relaxations in force on Saturday
- End of the vaccination passport
- 100% capacity in all public places
- No capacity limit per table in restaurants, bars, taverns and casinos
- Return to normal business hours for restaurants, bars, taverns and casinos
- Dancing and karaoke activities allowed
- No restriction on the number of participants for social activities in a rented room
- Withdrawal from the visitor register in private seniors’ residences
- Self-service buffets are permitted
- End of the five-day isolation in the event of contact with a person with COVID-19
- Return of proms
- Since the Superbowl in February, there are no more capacity limits for private gatherings. Public Health, however, suggests limiting the number to 10 people.
What remains in force
- Wearing a mask remains compulsory in public places. Public Health plans to end mandatory mask wearing by mid-April.
End of a dark era for bars
Closed since December 20, the bars were able to reopen their doors on February 28, limited to 50% of their capacity, but from midnight one, this barrier will fall.
“We are saving our businesses. The return of customers, we expected it. We were closed 16 months out of 24 months. It’s time to get our businesses back on track,” shared Pierre Thibault, president of the New Association of Quebec Bars, which has 200 members.
After two years of pandemic, restrictions, confinements and punctual curfews, customers are thirsty for social contact. The bars, which were to close at midnight, are back to their usual hours and will be able to close at 3 a.m.
“We feel that the world is high, people are funny. We feel the vibe. The terraces are coming. The good mood is contagious, hoping that this will be the end of a very dark era for bars,” added Mr. Thibault.
Goodbye queues
The pandemic has often tested the patience of consumers. Like the queues at the entrance to stores, which will only be bad memories. Let’s hope so.
“What customers told us about the most disturbing measures were the queues at the door,” explains Jean-Guy Côté, director general of the Quebec Retail Trade Council (CQCD).
Whether it’s going to the grocery store, the SAQ, the hardware store, we had to get used to it during this pandemic, even reluctantly.
“Having to queue and sometimes wait outside was something that discouraged a lot of people. So, we are very happy to find our normal reception capacity, ”he adds.
Changes in habits
The pandemic will leave its mark on the retail trade. “There are habits that have changed. Online commerce, for example, is here to stay, ”believes Jean-Guy Côté, director general of the Quebec Retail Trade Council (CQCD).
“It’s not to mention that probably more people will stay in telework for the next few years. The hours when the stores are busier have changed a lot because of that,” adds Mr. Côté.
As seen in malls, many shops are closing earlier than usual due to labor shortages.
According to the CQCD, there is a shortage of 25,000 workers in this sector. “It’s not because there aren’t any customers, it’s because there’s no one to checkout. All sectors are in competition to attract staff.
See also
Reference-www.journaldequebec.com