Yesterday, the Quebec Government announced new measures to deal with the pandemic. All of the regions of Quebec are now in yellow, orange or red zones with varying degrees of restrictions for each coloured zone. Curling Quebec intends to comply with the recommendations from the government, and we invite all of our members to do the same.
The coloured zones can be seen on the following map: https://www.quebec.ca/en/health/health-issues/a-z/2019-coronavirus/progressive-regional-alert-and-intervention-system/map-of-covid-19-alert-levels-by-region/
Curling and sports, in general, are authorized in all coloured zones, which is excellent news! However, the rules concerning bars and restaurants in red zones will cause several challenges for the affected clubs. Generally speaking, all curling clubs in Quebec can operate if they follow the rules as described in the Return to play guidelines and if they respect all regulations put in place by the government authorities, particularly the social distancing rules.
Travel between regions is not forbidden, but it should be limited to essential travel for the residents in orange and red zones. Although we are all curling enthusiasts and we would like to curl without any restrictions, the reality is that travelling between regions for a curling game or tournament is not considered essential given the current situation. Therefore, Curling Quebec will not authorize any curlers or teams to travel from an orange or red zone into a different region. For now, the affected teams and curlers may only play “locally.” Anyone living in a green or yellow zone cannot travel to an orange or red zone for curling. However, travel between green and yellow zones is not prohibited for curling events.
To be fair to all curlers in the province, Curling Quebec has decided to suspend all official events and sanctioned events until October 28th, 2020, as per the government’s recommendations. Scheduled provincial circuit tournaments may still be played if they can respect the rules mentioned above; however these events will not be sanctioned by CQ (no points will be awarded, no provincial rankings, etc.). All events scheduled in red zones will automatically be cancelled or rescheduled, and all other CQ activities (clinics, certifications, etc.) will also be suspended for October. We are already working in collaboration with the members of the competition committee to find alternative solutions to qualify teams for the various provincial championships, which we are still hoping to be able to present starting in January 2021. Further details will be published as soon as possible.
The board of directors, as well as the staff at CQ, are very aware of the numerous difficulties that lie ahead of us in this bizarre season. Our affiliated clubs and all of the curlers are our highest priority. We have already planned to increase the number of meetings over the next few weeks to be able to assess the situation weekly and, above all, to be able to inform you all of any changes as quickly and as efficiently as possible.
We thank you for your precious collaboration, and of course, we wish you all good curling!
Curling Québec
