Circle the date on your calendar, casinos in Quebec are on the way back.
Loto-Quebec has announced some of the province’s biggest casinos will reopen Feb. 28, as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to subside.
Here are the scheduled dates for casino re-openings:
- Casino de Montreal (Feb. 28)
- Casino de Charlevoix (Feb. 28)
- Casino du Lac-Leamy (Feb. 28)
- Gaming rooms of Quebec City (Feb. 28)
- Gaming rooms of Trois-Rivières (Feb. 28)
- Casino de Mont-Tremblant (March 3)
Video lottery terminals in bars and Kinzo operations will also resume.
“We will need to learn to live with the virus,” said Premier Francois Legault, when announcing the deconfinement plan on Feb.1.
“There may be the sixth wave eventually, but we will have to live with Covid.”
Restrictions still in place despite reopening
However, the reopening doesn’t signal free reign for patrons.
Casino capacity will be limited to 50% while the hours of operations will vary depending on each individual operator’s preference.
Vaccination passports are here to stay. Casinos also require masks for everyone (employees and customers) in the gaming areas.
“I just want to tell Quebecers that I understand that you’re fed up with these restrictions,” said Premier Legault. “But at the same time, I think it’s important that we remember why we have put in place these measures.”
Quebec’s casinos some of Canada’s finest
Nonetheless, having some of Canada’s largest casinos reopen must have Quebec gamblers excited once again.
Consider Casino de Montreal (pictured), the largest land-based casino in the country at over 526,000 square feet.
Not to be outdone, Casino de Charlevoix offers 900-plus slot machines.
Casino de Lac-Leamy has a rich history dating back to 1996.
Quebec government plans to lift Covid-19 restrictions by mid-March
Beyond Feb. 28, the date everyone is ultimately eyeing lands somewhere in mid-march.
Although no definitive date has been given yet, the Quebec government has stated that is when the province is aiming to lift Covid-19 restrictions.
Quebec closed its entertainment district including bars, movie theatres and entertainment venues in December.
The government enacted the measures because of the rapid growth of cases.
On Thursday, the province reported 1,902 people in hospital.
The government states 86% of the eligible Quebec population (aged five and up) had received two doses of the vaccine. Meanwhile, 91% had received a single jab.
