Quebec unveils three-step plan to end province's COVID-19 vaccine passports
The Quebec government has unveiled its gradual removal of the COVID-19 vaccine passport.
At 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 first step goes into effect as of 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).
Dubé says the second step will go into effect on February 21, when they will no longer be required for places of worship, weddings, or funerals.
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As of March 14, the vaccine passport will be removed from all sites including restaurants and long-term care homes.
Dubé stressed that the vaccine passport will still be required for international travel.
Dubé was joined by Quebec’s interim Director of Public Health, Dr. Luc Boileau, who stated the healthcare network is “starting to improve” across the province. Boileau says the passport was an “important tool” in fighting the pandemic.
Boileau says there have been “several indicators” that mean Quebec can expect a “return to normal” in the coming weeks. He says 86% of Quebecers over the age of 60 have received at least one booster shot.
On a annoncé aujourd’hui le retrait progressif du passeport vaccinal. On doit apprendre à vivre avec le virus. Et la meilleure manière de vivre avec le virus, c’est d’être vacciné.
Voici le calendrier 👇 pic.twitter.com/XdXuLfEmMZ
— François Legault (@francoislegault) February 15, 2022
Both Boileau and Dubé were adamant that Quebecers “must remain prudent.” The Health Minister also said the vaccine passport is “here to stay” and could be reinstated during the upcoming waves of COVID-19.
Dubé says that since the passport was enforced over the summer, close to 600,000 unvaccinated people have gone to get vaccinated.
Over the past week, several Canadian provinces have announced they would be ending the proof of vaccination requirement, among all other COVID-19 mandates. Alberta abolished its passport system last week, and Saskatchewan stopped enforcing theirs as of February 14. Manitoba announced on Friday it would no longer require proof of vaccination as of March 1.