Canadian event closes only seven hours after it opened as provincial government imposes emergency ban on indoor gatherings of over 250 people

The 2020 Quebec City Boat Show kicked off at noon yesterday only to close its doors and cancel just seven hours later in the wake of an emergency ban on indoor events with more than 250 people imposed by the Quebec provincial government. The popular boat and sports show, hosted at the Centre de foires d’ExpoCité, was to have run through Sunday.

At a mid-day news conference Quebec premier François Legault called the coronavirus outbreak an emergency situation unlike any that the province has seen before. “We need to delay the contagion,” Legault said. “The next few weeks will be critical, and our goal is to slow the propagation of the virus as much as possible.”

Quebec Boat Show public relations director Anne-Marie Roy said that in consultation with local health authorities, event organisers determined the best course of action was to simply cancel the event for 2020. Roy say that dates for the 2021 Quebec City Boat Show would be announced in the coming weeks.

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