Removing the mask: public health is working on “a step-by-step plan”

Public health is working on “a step-by-step mask removal plan” for the entire population, revealed the Minister of Health, Christian Dubé.

• Read also: Removing the mask in class: “I hope it will go well”

• Read also: COVID-19: end of the mask in class after the break

• Read also: Wearing a mask in class: Roberge confirms the withdrawal of the measure and Boileau will take stock on Wednesday

As Quebec continues its deconfinement, the Legault government has asked the acting national director of public health, Dr. Luc Boileau, to present to it the procedure to follow towards the end of wearing a face covering, in general.

“That’s what we asked him, is to say how he sees the different stages,” summed up Minister Dubé, during a press scrum in the corridors of the National Assembly.

The minister also took the liberty of suggesting that journalists question Dr. Boileau on this subject, during a public health press briefing scheduled for 2 p.m. on Wednesday. “He’s working on it,” Dubé said.

The first stage of this plan was however confirmed on Tuesday. As reported first in our pages, the obligation to wear the mask in primary and secondary classes will be lifted on March 7. The official announcement was made by press release.

Children first

“This is very, very good news,” commented the Minister of Health, recalling that public health had warned that children would be the first to benefit from relief with regard to the wearing of face coverings. face.

Thing said, thing done. Public health having recommended to go there “gradually”, the students will have to continue to wear the mask in the common areas and in school transport, but other relaxations are to come.

“In the classroom, it’s different: they’re seated, they’re in their place. In the common areas, they cross paths with different groups,” observed the Minister of Education, Jean-François Roberge.

“Finally a little more normality for our young people and our teenagers, who had it hard during the pandemic”, he rejoiced.

To CÉGEP and university students who would like to be able to benefit from the same flexibility: their turn will come, suggested the Minister of Higher Education, Danielle McCann.

“We start with secondary and primary schools. […] I think we can really hope for some relief eventually, but we don’t know when,” she said.

Different background

Like his colleague in Education, Mr. Dubé wanted to be reassured about the consequences that this reduction could have. “The context is completely different from last year”, underlined the Minister of Health, relying on the high number of people vaccinated and the breathlessness of the fifth wave.

Mr. Dubé still expects “a small increase” in the number of cases. “Could there be additional hospitalizations? Maybe,” he admitted. But the health network now has enough “leeway” to “deal with bad weather”, according to him.

The Minister of Health, Christian Dubé, returned to the brief scrums of the press in the corridors, instead of the update on the pandemic that he had been doing every week since the return from the Holidays.

what they said

“The evolution of the epidemiological situation in Quebec allows us to make this flexibility. Many efforts have been made by our young people in recent months. »

– François Legault, Premier of Quebec

“I dare to hope that public health is perfectly comfortable with the decisions that support the fact that we stop wearing the mask. (…) What shocks me deeply in this whole story is that we are still in a health emergency in Quebec. »

– Dominique Anglade, Leader of the Quebec Liberal Party

“If it is an announcement that is guided by science, if it is approved by public health, I think it will still be greeted with relief by a lot of families, by a lot of young people. But I expect it to be justified by public health arguments. I can’t wait to hear them. »

– Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois, parliamentary leader of Québec solidaire

“(The government) has a moral duty to put an end to governance by decree because it is completely unjustified in the context where we remove sanitary measures, where we allow all normal activities. »

– Paul St-Pierre Plamondon, leader of the Parti Québécois