The Quebec government announced that they currently have no plans to bring back their vaccine mandate in the fall.
Indeed, despite being the worst province in Canada for COVID lockdowns, curfews, and even levying financial penalties against the unvaccinated, Premier Francois Legault said he has no intention of bringing back a mandate.
With that said, Legault added that a high vaccination rate is the only reason Quebec is currently open, and he urged citizens to line up, roll up their sleeves, and get a booster dose.
“It’s important; [healthcare workers] had a tough two years, so they need your help,” Legault said. “Please get your new dose.”
This news comes as the Quebec government launches a massive vaccination campaign, which seems contradictory and has led some health officials in the government to question the decision not to implement a mandate.
“I think it’s a bit perplexing because an institution of public health, the INSPQ, has warned that this fall could be very difficult with another wave,” infectious diseases specialist Dr. Donald Vinh said.
“You would have thought that if your own institution is warning you that things could be bad, the reflexive response would have been ‘okay, what do we do about it?’ And the answer today is nothing,” he said. “Today’s press conference really comes down to just crossing your fingers and hoping.”
Vinh added that he would have liked the government to announce plans to monitor wastewater and potentially bring back a limited mask mandate.
It’s also noteworthy that the Quebec general election is on October 3. Thus, Legault’s decision not to bring back mandates is likely to avoid a PR disaster from becoming the first province to return to the absolute tyranny of the 2020-2021 COVID state.
