The Legault government once again concludes a holiday contract with Quebecers. Groups of twenty people will be able to celebrate together from December 23, provided they are vaccinated.
“We ask Quebeckers to be responsible,” said the Minister of Health, Christian Dubé, in a press briefing at the National Assembly.
The government was awaiting recommendations from Public Health. He finally received them this morning. “It’s important to reward Quebecers,” who are approximately 81% vaccinated with two doses, said Mr. Dubé.
No coercive measure will accompany the loosening of sanitary measures, which for the moment promises to be permanent. “We are not going to start going to private parties,” said the Minister of Health.
National public health director Horacio Arruda says he made his decision based on several factors, including the relative stability in the number of hospitalizations due to COVID-19. At the moment, the Omicron variant does not pass into the population, he said, which allows for relaxations.
“I hope not to have to come back by Christmas,” he added, faced with the uncertainty generated by this new mutation of the virus.
Booster doses
Quebec hopes to be able to continue to inoculate the population before Christmas. It will also begin administering the third doses to healthcare workers and the chronically ill in the coming days.
Public Health will also allow people 60 years of age and over to get a booster dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. Due to a “limited number of vaccinators”, however, they will have to wait until early 2022 to make an appointment.
Minister Dubé confirmed the consequences of the recall operation on Tuesday. “It’s the same order we did when we made our first, second doses,” illustrated the elected Caquist.
The government is basing itself on the recommendations of the Committee on Immunization of Quebec (CIQ). Last week, its federal counterpart, the National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI), suggested a vaccine booster, six months after the second dose, for all adults 18 years of age and older. It also reinforced its recommendation for people aged 50 and over.
Further details will follow.