When the dining rooms reopen their doors on Monday, the spas of Quebec in turn launch a final cry from the heart to the Legault government. Judging their closure “inexplicable”, they claim to be able to restart their activities on February 7, at the same time as cinemas and performance halls.
Posted at 10:12 a.m.
“The Legault government is putting the growing wellness industry around the world and recognized elsewhere as a partner in improving physical and mental health at risk. At a time when Quebecers need it more than ever, it’s sad to see that here, we don’t care,” criticizes the president and general manager of the Association québécoise des spas (AQS), Véronyque Tremblay. .
She affirms that we must avoid confusing spas “with other more risky activities”. “In a spa establishment, people are there to relax in their bubble, and above all, outside,” argues the CEO.
His exit comes just hours after that of several gyms, several of which held outdoor rallies on Sunday in front of their establishments to insist that they “are also part of the solution” to rebuild the health system. Some have even defied health rules, opening their doors for a few hours, such as Gym Proactif, in Drummondville.
The AQS regrets that since Monday, Quebec has been “the only province in Canada where Nordic spa establishments are still closed”. “This closure is arbitrary and unjustified,” insists the organization in a press release.
He asks Quebec “to exercise rational judgment” by reopening the spas on February 7, a week before Valentine’s Day, a “very important” time of the year for their business, already severely weakened by the absence income during the holidays. “We should add that the facilities are large, that the clientele is mainly made up of single people and couples and that no outbreak has been reported in one of our facilities”, persists M.me Tremblay.
His group figures on average at more than $ 200,000 the losses suffered by a Quebec spa only in “the first weeks” of their closure decreed last December by the Legault government. Like many others, spas have also been reopened and then closed a few times since the start of the pandemic.
François Legault promised on Sunday to “go around the situation” in order to determine if further relief is possible in the coming days, a few days after the acting national director of public health, Dr.r Luc Boileau would have said he was aiming for a rate of further reductions “one week at a time”. A meeting between the two men is scheduled for Monday evening. In a press briefing last week, Mr. Legault said he was aware that certain activities are not included in the new reductions. “I am thinking of adult sports, gyms, spas, but for the moment, Public Health tells us that it will come in a third stage”, summed up the Prime Minister at the time.