Gatherings of up to 250 people will be allowed in Quebec places of worship as of Friday

The Tres-Saint-Sacrament Church in Quebec City

Montreal — In another move to loosen COVID-19 restrictions, Quebec announced Thursday that places of worship will be able to allow gatherings of a maximum of 250 people starting Friday.

Institutions will be allowed to welcome more people indoors, whether they are in a red, orange or yellow alert zones, according to a news release from the ministry of health.

Certain public health measures will remain in place, including lowering the number of people in indoor spaces to ensure physical distancing of two metres is still maintained. Face masks will also be mandatory at all times.

The province notes, however, that the loosened restrictions do not apply to weddings and funerals. Places of worship in orange and red alert zones must still limit the number of people to 25 for those types of gatherings, while in yellow alert zones the maximum is 50 people.

The new policy comes into effect the same day gyms will be allowed to reopen in Quebec. Training room capacity will be reduced, adjusted to the size of each location. In the red zone, where about 60 per cent of the Quebec population lives, workouts are only allowed for individuals, duos or family bubbles.