8 with a maximum of 250 people. masks and social distancing will be optional. according to dr. horacio arruda, the risk is very low, as "young people have a better immune reaction than older people. after 14 days or three weeks after the first dose, they will be almost entirely protected, probably more than 90%." additionally, legault confirms that other reopenings will proceed as scheduled, including the transferring of orange zones to yellow zones on june 14. students no longer have to wear masks in classrooms, although they must continue wearing them in hallways, buses, and other common areas. the move comes after a heat wave hit the province. june 11 — bar patios in orange zones re-open. june 14 — all regions in orange zones, where about 85% of quebec's population lives, move into the yellow zone. most notably, this means that bars can fully open, residents from up to two households can gather indoors, and masks can be taken off in workplaces under certain conditions. in green and yellow zones, hours of operation for bars are extended. bars can now serve alcohol until midnight and close at 2:00 a.m. june 15 — the montreal marathon, which was supposed to take place on september 24–26, is cancelled for the second year in a row. june 16 — the border between ontario and quebec reopens. june 17 — some quebecers experience difficulties advancing their appointment for their second dose due to shipment delays from pfizer-biontech. the maximum number of spectators in venues increases from 2,500 to 3,500. june 21 — the number of new cases drops below 100 for the first time since the summer of 2020. three regions in the yellow zone move into the green zone: bas-saint-laurent, mauricie et le centre-du-québec, and saguenay–lac-saint-jean. june 25 — people who are fully vaccinated become able to participate in indoor gatherings without a mask or social distancing and the limit on large outdoor events is increased to 3,500 from 2,500. june 28 — with 70% of quebecers having received at least one dose of a vaccine, the entire province moves into the green zone. the green zone allows for indoor gatherings of up to 10 people, outdoor gatherings of up to 20 people, sports competitions (50 spectators if held outside, 25 if held inside), and weddings and funerals of up to 250 seated guests. july july 8 — minister dubé announces that a vaccine passport in the form of a qr code will be instituted in september 2021. it will only be used in exceptional circumstances, such as an outbreak of covid-19 in a high-risk setting, and will never be used for essential services. july 14 — for the first time since the start of the pandemic, a week passes with no new deaths from covid-19. july 15 — people in the 12 to 17 year old age group become able to advance their appointment for their second dose by four weeks. july 16 — in an attempt to entice the remaining 17% of eligible quebecers to get vaccinated, minister dubé announces that people over 18 who have been vaccinated can enter into a cash lottery starting on july 25. there will be four prizes worth $150,000 each and one prize worth $1 million. for those between the ages of 12 and 17, they can enter into a contest for bursaries. there will be eight bursaries worth $10,000 each and 16 worth $20,000. the draws will occur weekly starting on august 6, 2021, and ending on september 3, 2021, on which date the draw for the largest cash prize of $1 million will take place. july 25 — registration for the vaccine lottery opens. august august 1 — green zone restrictions loosen further: the limit on indoor venues and stadiums increases to 500 people per section, for a total of 7,500 people, and bars become able to serve alcohol until 1:00 a.m., one hour later than previously. august 5 — in response to a rise in cases, premier legault confirms that a vaccine passport will soon be implemented for certain non-essential services, so as to avoid another partial lockdown. august 6 — the first draw of the vaccine lottery takes place. adults can win one prize of $150,000 and those in the 12-17 year old age group can win one of two bursaries. august 10 — minister dubé announces further details on the vaccine passport system, specifying that it will come into effect on september 1, 2021, and will be used for restaurants, bars, gyms, festivals, and other venues with large numbers of people or close contact between people. pilot projects will be run at a bar in quebec city, a bar in montreal, and a gym in laval. august 11 — education minister jean-françois roberge announces that when the school year begins in autumn, kids in primary and secondary school will not have to wear masks in classrooms, although they will still have to wear masks in other common areas, like buses and hallways. august 15 — the percentage of the population aged 12 and up who is adequately vaccinated reaches 75%. the quebec government defines an adequately vaccinated person as someone who has received either two doses of a vaccine or one dose if they previously had covid-19. august 17 — premier legault announces that vaccination will be mandatory for healthcare workers in quebec, both in the private sector and the public sector. specifically, the mandate will apply to healthcare workers who spend more than 15 minutes with patients. legault also announces that masks will be mandatory in cegeps and universities, including in classrooms. august 23 — montreal ends its municipal state of emergency, which had been in effect since march 27, 2020. august 24 — minister roberge announces that kids in primary and secondary school in nine regions of quebec (montreal, laval, montérégie, lanaudière, laurentides, centre-du-québec, outaouais, estrie, and mauricie) will have to wear masks in classrooms. additionally, in all regions of quebec vaccine passports will be used for extracurricular indoor sports and sports with a high degree of contact. august 25 — the vaccine passport app, vaxicode, becomes available for download on the apple app store. vaxicode will display a qr code containing the name of the person, their date of birth, and their vaccination status. this qr code can be verified by another app, vaxicode verif, which is also available for download on the apple app store. both apps, which were developed by a quebec-based company, akinox, will soon become available for download on android. august 28 — thousands of people gather at maisonneuve park in montreal to protest the mandatory vaccination of healthcare and education workers. august 30 — vaxicode becomes available for download on the google play store. additionally, the quebec government announces that it will offer third doses to immunosuppressed people. september september 1 — the vaccine passport comes into effect for certain non-essential services. september 7 — minister dubé confirms that healthcare workers in both the public and private sector will have to be fully vaccinated by october 15, 2021. those who do not comply will be suspended without pay or reassigned to other duties, if possible. september 28 — minister dubé announces that seniors living in long-term care homes will be able to receive a third dose of a covid-19 vaccine once 6 months have passed since their second dose. september 30 — the quebec government announces that theatres can operate at full capacity starting on october 8, 2021, as long as clients have a valid vaccine passport and keep their masks on at all times (except when eating or drinking). october october 12 — three days before the vaccine mandate for healthcare workers is meant to come into effect, several provincial medical organizations, including the order of nurses, the college of physicians, and the order of pharmacists, announce that members who are still unvaccinated by the deadline will have their licence to practice revoked. however, their license can be reinstated upon full vaccination. the percentage of the province's population aged 12 and over having received at least one vaccine dose reaches 90%. october 13 — the deadline for healthcare workers to be fully vaccinated is pushed back by a month to november 15, 2021, due to concerns about staff shortages. october 27 — the quebec government announces that there will not be a vaccine mandate for school staff, including teachers. in quebec's superior court, a legal challenge to the vaccine mandate for healthcare workers is heard. november november 2 — minister dubé announces further relaxations of restrictions, starting on november 15, including that bars and restaurants will no longer have to keep track of clients, and karaoke and dance will be allowed in bars again. additionally, students in high school will not have to wear masks in classrooms. the government will also no longer recommend remote work where possible, allowing for a transition back to in-person work. november 3 — the vaccine mandate for healthcare workers, which was set to come into effect on november 15, is cancelled. however, the requirement for newly hired healthcare workers to be vaccinated will remain. november 9 — quebecers aged 70 and older become able to get a third dose of a covid-19 vaccine, provided it has been at least six months since their second dose. november 24 — the vaccination campaign expands to children five to eleven years old following health canada's approval of the pfizer-biontech vaccine for that age group. november 29 — it is revealed that the first two confirmed cases of the omicron variant in canada passed through the montréal-pierre elliott trudeau international airport. december december 7 — eligibility for third doses is extended to health-care workers, people with chronic illnesses, people from isolated and remote communities, and pregnant women. minister dubé announces that as of december 23, the limit on private indoor gatherings will increase from 10 to 20. december 16 — due to a new wave of covid-19 driven by the omicron variant, premier legault announces new health restrictions. starting on december 20, stores, places of worship, public events, theatres, bars, restaurants, and gyms will have reduced capacity. additionally, sports tournaments and competitions will be suspended; dancing and karaoke will once again be prohibited in bars; the scope of activities targeted by the vaccine passport will expand to include places of worships, funerals, and weddings, if over 25 people; finally, private gatherings will remain capped at 10 people indoors and 20 people outdoors, reversing an announcement made the previous week. businesses affected by the new restrictions will receive support from the provincial government, according to the premier. december 17 — quebec sets a new record for daily new cases of covid-19, at 3,768 cases. the previous record of 2,880 was set during the second wave of the virus, in january 2021. december 18 — mayor plante tests positive for covid-19. december 20 — new restrictions come into effect at 5:00 p.m, including the closure of gyms, movie theatres, venues, bars, taverns, and casinos. restaurants will remain open, but their hours will be restricted to 5 a.m to 10 p.m. elementary schools and high school classes will be suspended until at least january 10, 2022. additionally, it becomes mandatory for non-essential workers to work from home, thwarting widespread plans for a gradual return to the office beginning in january 2022. on the same day, rapid tests become freely available to all quebecers. december 21 — the quebec government submits a request to the federal government for military aid in administering third doses. additionally, montreal reinstates its state of emergency after having suspended it in the summer. december 22 — quebec records over 10,000 new cases of covid-19 in one day for the first time since the pandemic began, reaching a total of 500,000 cumulative cases. december 30 — premier legault announces new measures that come into effect on december 31, including the establishment of a 10:00 p.m to 5:00 a.m curfew, the closure of indoor dining rooms, and the prohibition of private gatherings. emergency alert message sent out to all quebecers on december 31, 2021, notifying them of the curfew 2022 january january 4 — the mandatory self-isolation period after covid-19 infection goes down from 10 days to five days for fully vaccinated people. the same day,