Demystifying the rules around travelling in and out of Quebec
Regions are reopening, but the government advises essential travel only
As travel restrictions in some of the province's regions are removed, Quebecers are wondering if that means they can go to their cottage or visit other provinces.
The answer, like for many things related to the COVID-19 pandemic, depends on your situation.
Police checkpoints that controlled traffic into and within the province are going down. The Laurentians was the first region to reopen on Monday, and other regions are following later this month, including Saguenay and the Lower North Shore.
But just because Quebecers are now free to travel, it doesn't mean the province wants you to.
"We still have to avoid unnecessary going from a region to another," Deputy Premier Geneviève Guilbault said at the end of April, when the announcement about the removal of checkpoints was made.
"You must not go in those regions if you don't have a good reason to go."
Municipal officials in rural regions of Quebec are also urging visitors to be cautious. They've asked the Quebec government to act quickly if COVID-19 cases start to flare up.
What about travel to another province or territory?
Each Canadian province and territory has their own set of rules about who can travel there.
Ontario, Alberta, Saskatchewan and British Columbia have no specific restrictions in effect.
Of course, that doesn't mean they want you to come.
"Don't cross the border. We love our Quebec neighbours, but just wait until this is all over," Ontario Premier Doug Ford said Friday.
"It's to their benefit, our benefit and the whole country's benefit."
As for the other provinces and territories, for the most part, only essential travel is allowed and self-isolation rules are mandatory.
"It's too early to open the borders up, especially in a situation that we see with what they're currently dealing with in Ontario or Quebec," said New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs.
"We need to take care to control the flow of people into New Brunswick if we are going to contain the spread of the virus."
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