A sigh of relief for many families: the Legault government will finally authorize gatherings at 10 for Christmas before tightening the measures the next day.
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Despite the meteoric rise in cases of COVID-19 due to the highly transmissible variant Omicron, Quebec has decided to maintain the status quo until December 25.
In a long-awaited press conference, the Prime Minister, François Legault announces that from December 26, the gatherings will however have to be limited to six people or to members of two family bubbles. Rented cabins or private rooms will also be subject to this rule.
The 3e dose for all in january
Thus, the members of two families will still be able to gather around a meal.
The same goes for restaurants, where the capacity of the tables will be reduced to six people or the occupants of two addresses.
The Legault government, however, warns people aged 60 and over to remain very cautious during these gatherings.
For the moment, however, Quebec rejects the idea of reimposing a curfew or closing non-essential businesses, but does not rule out possibly introducing other measures to curb the spread of the virus.
In order to prevent damage from the Omicron variant, the Legault government is also putting pressure on the accelerator to administer the 3rd doses of vaccine.
Teachers and educators should soon be eligible. Then everyone can register to receive it in January.
Dark portrait
These announcements come as the picture continues to darken as the holiday season approaches.
The province once again recorded an all-time high for COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, with 6,321 infections.
Despite the measures introduced so far by the Legault government, the capacity of hospitals could be exceeded within three weeks, also warned the INSPQ and INESSS, Thursday.
“Given the uncertainty regarding the severity of Omicron, we cannot exclude an overrun of hospital capacities, even with the measures announced on December 20 and the acceleration of the vaccination with a third dose,” said the Institute. National Public Health Authority of Quebec (INSPQ).
Meanwhile, the health network is under strain as at least 1,284 workers are infected with COVID-19.