Quebec looking into step-by-step plan to fully remove masks in public spaces
Posted February 23, 2022 3:23 pm.
Last Updated February 23, 2022 6:48 pm.
The province is seriously considering fully removing the mask mandate for all Quebecers, but there is no timeline for that just yet.
Health officials say Quebec is working on a plan that would approach the removal of facemasks on a step-by-step basis.
That plan could include the removal of masks in low-risk situations where Quebecers are generally seated, not moving around and not speaking much or at all.
That would mean concert venues, theatres or at conferences, for instance, said Dr. Marie-France Raynault, the senior strategic advisor for the health ministry.
Other public spaces and public transit would be the last areas where masks would be removed, Raynault said at Wednesday’s press conference alongside Dr. Luc Boileau, the province’s interim public health director.
The first step was the decision to drop masks for elementary and high school students in class only when they return from spring break next month.
Masks must still be worn in common areas and on school transportation. This does not apply to CEGEP and universities, where masks must continue to be worn in class.
Raynault says Quebec health officials were informed by experts that kids who wear masks have more trouble socializing and speaking, and that factored in the decision to alleviate the mask mandate for young students.
Boileau called it a calculated risk.
“We do know that there are benefits for socializing, learning, and for kids with problems for speech language, this is very important,” he said.
Boileau says 35 to 40 per cent of children were in contact with COVID-19 in the last few months and that helped push the decision to remove the masks in classrooms.
About three million Quebecers were infected with Omicron in the last few weeks, says Boileau, who doesn’t believe a new COVID wave is coming anytime soon.
