Kovid-19: Within 10 days many health measures were lifted

The mask is not mandatory anywhere from the month of May Vaccine passport No longer required in public places from March 12, the government announced Wednesday.

Quebec has chosen to carry out a series of relaxations from March 14 to 12 to “allow the population, operators and traders to make the most of the weekend with minimum restrictions,” the Ministry of Health said in a press release. .

So from March 7 the obligation to wear face covering will be phased out. In elementary and middle school classes, Quebec has already announced that this requirement will be reduced from March 7, the same date Return to spring break.

The exact timetable for removing the mask will be determined “later” depending on the outcome of the epidemiological condition, the ministry said. Public Health should also look into the issue at a press briefing on Thursday.

One thing is for sure, after mid-April, with ten days’ notice, the mask is no longer required in public places except on public transport. This last requirement is lifted “early in May”, always with ten days’ notice.

There are no restrictions or vaccination passport on March 12

From March 12, capacity in public spaces will increase to 100%. Restaurants, bars, taverns and casinos will no longer have a capacity limit per table. This date marks the return to normal business hours for restaurants, bars, taverns and casinos, as well as the resumption of dance and concert activities.

There are also no restrictions on the number of participants for social activities in the rental room. Visitor logs in private seniors’ residences will also be removed.

“In addition, the vaccination passport does not need to be submitted to access the targeted sites by this measure,” the Ministry of Health confirmed.

Minister Christian Dubey stressed that an “important stage” had passed in the epidemic COVID-19.

” […] We can be proud of all the efforts we are making to get there. However, we must learn to live with the virus that is still spreading and be careful, ”he warned. “Wearing a mask, while it is no longer mandatory, is, among other things, part of the arsenal in which we must reduce the risk of transmission under certain circumstances. ⁇

Evidence from last week

Last week, Minister Dubey said the removal of wearing masks in the classroom after the break was the first step in a plan to keep face shields slightly apart. Based on its recent data on immunity against COVID-19, Public Health confirmed the next day His desire was to “gradually” remove the obligation to wear a mask.

Its “masked de-escalation plan” must follow the level of risk associated with various activities, explained Mary-France Renault, a senior strategic medical adviser at the Ministry of Health. “So in places where people are seated, in theaters, in conference rooms, it could be the next step,” she said, adding that the public transport sector was “the last place where the mask would be removed.”

In an interview at Homework Last weekChief of Staff Franకోois Legalt, Martin Koskinen, argued that the Quebec Bill would be introduced in mid-March with the goal of ending the health emergency. “Right now, we need a health emergency to impose a mask on public transport. So, without going into a health emergency, how can we give ourselves the flexibility to allow ourselves to take action? He asked.

Encouraging expectations

In addition, the National Institutes of Public Health (INSPQ) and the National Institutes of Excellence in Health and Social Services (INESSS) on Wednesday published encouraging references to COVID-19.

“There should not be a significant increase in cases and hospitalization in Greater Montreal due to the gradual relaxation of health measures until March 14, 2022.” Provide the most recent INSPQ modeling And Research Group in Mathematical Modeling and Health Economics on Infectious Diseases at University Laval.

Their estimates are that “one in three people in Greater Montreal has been infected with SARS-CoV-2 since December 1, 2021”, note the two groups.

Based on scenarios that take into account the growth of social relationships – “gradually” in one case and “more rapidly and importantly” in another – INSPQ argues that new hospital admissions and new deaths will be “much lower than the peak. Fifth wave”, in January.

In the case of INESSS, for the sixth week in a row, “all ages and all regions”, the number of new hospital admissions and the number of people required to be in intensive care decreased.

“For all Quebecs, estimates announce an ongoing decline in the new hospital, but this is lower than in previous weeks.” The Institute writesBased on data collected up to February 25, 2022.

To watch in the video