Several provinces relaxing lockdown measures

Several provinces began relaxing COVID-19 restrictions on Monday amid what Canada’s chief public health officer Dr. Theresa Tam described as “hopeful signs of declining COVID-19 activity.”

Loosened rules went into effect in Quebec, Alberta and Nova Scotia, while the Ontario government announced that restrictions in some parts of the province would start being eased on Wednesday.

The number of new cases reported daily across the country is continuing to trend down, Tam said in a statement. But she warned that these trends could reverse quickly and that new variants “could rapidly accelerate transmission of COVID-19 in Canada.”

Across Quebec, where the number of new cases dipped to 853, non-essential stores, personal-care salons and museums reopened Monday. In six, less populated regions, gyms were also allowed to reopen and in-person restaurant dining could resume.

Business owners in the province said they’re pleased to be able to reopen but worry about how long it will last.

In Alberta, restaurants also reopened for in-person dining Monday, while gyms could offer one-on-one training.

Restrictions on organized gatherings were eased in Nova Scotia Monday, as authorities reported one, travel-related case of COVID-19.

In New Brunswick, a lockdown that has been in effect in Edmundston since Jan. 24 was to be lifted Monday at midnight, though the region will remain under strict restrictions. In Moncton, gyms, salons, entertainment venues and restaurant dining rooms will be allowed to reopen, and people will be allowed to visit with up to 10 regular contacts.

In Newfoundland and Labrador, however, team sports as well as group recreational and cultural activities, such as dance and music classes, were suspended in St. John’s after 11 new cases were reported. Chief medical officer of health Dr. Janice Fitzgerald said three clusters without an identified source had been detected in the area.