At a press conference on Tuesday, Premier François Legault announced that, as of June 7, Montreal and Laval will be officially moving into the orange zone.
"Next Monday, Montreal and Laval will pass to the orange," he said.
In addition, certain regions will go from orange to yellow, and others will transition to the green zone leaving no region in Quebec with the red status.
In addition, Quebec will make public a calendar for second doses of vaccinations as of this Thursday. Health Minister Christian Dubé said the schedule will be prioritized by age groups, from the oldest to the youngest.
The switch means restaurants will finally be able to reopen indoor dining after eight months, albeit with some restrictions. Along with restaurants, gyms will also be able to reopen.
The announcement came as Quebec reported 208 new cases this morning, with hospitalizations dropping to an eight-month low. Unfortunately, there were still five more deaths related to COVID-19 in the province.
While the premier was optimistic and barely able to contain his excitement for the Habs win in game seven, he did issue a word of caution.
"We have to stay very careful," he said. "Don't be surprised if we see an increase in cases over the next few weeks."
A total of 5.2 million Quebecers have now received their first dose of vaccine. That represents 60.5 per cent of the population.
