Posted on 02/08/2022 12:06:05 PM PST by nickcarraway
Quebec Premier François Legault had one message for Quebecers Tuesday: it is time to learn to live with the virus.
"The population is fed up. I'm fed up. We're all fed up," he said. "But the reason we resisted [easing restrictions] until today was because there was too much risk."
"Right now, we can take a calculated risk and finally turn the page."
Legault announced that most of the province's restrictions will be lifted by mid-March, though mandatory mask mandates and the vaccine passport will remain — at least for now.
It's the latest in a series of reopening announcements, as the province steadily backs away from the mass shutdowns put in place in December due to the Omicron variant of COVID-19.
Legault said that hospitalizations in the province have gone down by more than 1,000 patients in the last few weeks, giving the health network enough breathing room to attempt a gradual reopening.
Step-by-step guide to reopening Home gatherings will no longer have any restrictions as of this Saturday, Feb. 12, though public health recommends having at most 10 people present, or three households.
"It will be up to each person to evaluate the risk," Legault said. "How many people am I with? How many got their third dose? How many are over 60 — what risk am I ready to take?"
WATCH | Premier François Legault outlines his plan to reopen:
In addition, restaurants will also be allowed to accommodate a maximum of 10 people per table as of Saturday. Currently, only four people, or two households, are allowed to sit together at a restaurant.
Organized sports matches, like hockey, will be allowed to resume as of Monday, Feb. 14. Gyms and spas, as previously announced, will also be allowed to open on that date. Legault said that tournaments, however, will only be allowed to restart two weeks later, on Feb. 28.
As of Feb. 21, all retail businesses will be allowed to reopen at full capacity. Places of worship will remain at 50 per cent capacity, but with a maximum of 500 people.
As of Feb. 28, working from home will no longer be mandatory for those with jobs where that is possible. Large venues, like Montreal's Bell Centre, will be allowed to operate at 50 per cent capacity.
Bars, which have been closed since Dec. 20, will also be allowed to reopen as of Feb. 28. They will have to operate at 50 per cent capacity and sanitary restrictions will remain in place, including a ban on dancing and karaoke, until March 14.
Long road to recovery for Quebec's cultural sector after COVID-19 shutdowns Quebec City police brace themselves for truck convoy's return Also on March 14, restaurants, bars and large venues like the Bell Centre and Videotron Centre will be allowed to operate at full capacity.
Health Minister Christian Dubé said there are no plans to lift mandatory mask mandates and the province's vaccine passport, but did not rule out repealing them on or after March 14.
Dubé did not provide a timeline for when the vaccine passport would require a third dose, as previously announced.
Legault said that 63 per cent of adults in the province have received a third dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.
Easing restrictions is 'reasonable'
Dr. Christopher Labos, a Montreal epidemiologist and cardiologist, said it makes sense that the government is easing restrictions now.
"As the situation improves, it is reasonable to loosen restrictions and to allow people to do more things, especially now that many people have gotten their third dose and have a good deal of protection against the virus," he said.
While Labos said he's optimistic about the future of the pandemic right now, he said he hopes the government is willing to shift gears if the situation changes on the ground.
"Learning to live with the virus doesn't mean ignoring the virus," he said. "We can learn to live with the virus, but still also monitor the situation and take appropriate steps when things seem to get better or get worse."
Labos acknowledged that there will always be the possibility of new variants, especially when many countries lack equitable access to vaccines.
"As long as we maintain some very basic elements of our public health response, it's very possible that the risk of future waves is going to be relatively low," he said.
Canada is pretending that mask and vax mandates “prevent restrictions” when they ARE the restrictions.
Upstate New York FYI: For many months, in the places I've been to, even if there's a "mandatory" mask sign on the door, when a customer walks in without a surrender-snout, nobody blinks.
True, most people no longer care. Restaurants typically do because the “state” controls their liquor license.
QUebec does need to take a second step. To have gone so far insane that lifting everything other than the passports and the masks seems a huge step forward says volumes about how crazy the province is. Still, it will give cover to much of the rest of Canada—by which I mean Toronto, Winnipeg, and Victoria—to follow (I hope) ALberta and Saskatchewan and ditch everything.
Why NOT NOW??????????????
Massive disobedience is what’s needed! Just don’t comply!
Will Fidel Trudeau let them?
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