The province’s chief physician expects mandatory rules to disguise indoor public spaces to end on May 14, but he says he will wait a few more days to make that recommendation, although he believes the sixth wave in Quebec has already reached its peak. .
“We are confident that we will continue to move in this direction in the coming weeks,” Dr Luc Boylo, Quebec’s interim director of public health, told a news conference on Thursday.
“We can confirm that a decision has been made whether to continue [with mandatory masks] after the 14th will be done early next week. We will have more complete data, “he said.
Earlier on Thursday, sources told Radio-Canada that Boalo would announce his recommendation to abolish the mandate for masks by the middle of next month. Radio-Canada then learned that Boalo was still considering his decision.
Speaking at the press conference, Boalo said all indications were that the spread of the virus was slowing – not fast enough for public health officials to feel comfortable asking the Quebec government to get rid of the mask rule.
Even when masks become optional in most public places, the director of public health said they would still be required in health facilities and public transport “for a while.”
The latest forecasts from the Institute of Health Research in Quebec, INESSS, show a decline in hospitalizations with COVID-19 over the next two weeks.
Quebec will be the only province to require disguise in most indoor public places when Prince Edward Island lifts the order for masks on May 6.
Receive COVID-19 twice in less than 3 months
Boalo said public health experts in the province are also noticing a trend of re-infection with COVID-19 with option BA.2.
He said between five and 10 per cent of recent cases involved people who had caught COVID-19 in the past two months and were now becoming infected for the second time.
In light of this, Boileau said the province is changing its direction and now recommends that people who are experiencing symptoms take a quick test if at least two months have passed since their last infection. Previously, the province advised people to take a test only if three months had passed.
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