Quebec mask mandate now extends to outdoor activities

Masks are now mandatory in the workplace and in any outdoor activity during which you are likely to come within two metres of another person.

The new guidelines follow recommendations issued by the Institut National de Santé Publique du Québec (INSPQ) last week promoting mandatory masks in the workplace. The body also recommended rotating lunch breaks and for workers to eat alone if possible.

"We must act in a preventive manner and increase our level of precaution," wrote Quebec Premier Francois Legault in a Facebook post announcing the new rules. "The situation continues to be of concern, particularly given our fragile health system."

Quebec has consistently enforced some of the strictest lockdown measures in Canada, going as far as to impose a curfew on residents seeking to leave their homes at night.

Despite the strict lockdown measures, Quebec has experienced the highest number of coronavirus cases per capita, as well as the highest number of coronavirus-related deaths both in relative and absolute terms.