During a Tuesday afternoon press conference, Quebec’s Health Minister, Christian Dubé, announced a three-step plan for the removal of the province’s VaxiCode passport.
The Health Minister also told the media that the province could be following suit with the easing of current mask mandates.
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Although masks are still required in all public indoor spaces, that may be subject to change in the coming weeks, as soon as March 14.
The Health Minister stressed that “the current situation does not allow us to lift the rules” but that ‘eventually” people will have the choice to wear face masks “at their own discretion.”
“We don’t have any intention of lifting this restriction before the 14 of March, but we would be happy if the situation evolves positively,” said Dubé, adding that “the mask remains a measure that is very effective to reduce contagion.”
Over the past week, several Canadian provinces have announced they would be ending the proof of vaccination requirement, among other COVID-19 mandates. Alberta abolished its passport system last week, and Saskatchewan stopped enforcing theirs as of February 14. On Friday, Manitoba announced it would no longer require proof of vaccination as of March 1.
The first step of Quebec’s plan goes into effect this Wednesday, when the vaccine passport will no longer be required to access big box stores, SAQs (Société des alcools du Québec), and SQDCs (Société Québécoise du Cannabis).