As Canada and other Canadian regions confront a new COVID-19 wave, Quebec will need masks to be used in indoor public venues for the whole month of April, postponing a plan to ease the restriction by the middle of the month.
With health experts predicting an increase in cases and hospitalizations, the said province, which is Canada's second most populated area, will become one of the last in North America to maintain a mask rule in public indoor spaces such as stores.
Dr. Luc Boileau, the province's temporary public health head, said, "We do not expect the mask to be required after the month of April. However, we'll have to wait and observe how this wave develops."
On Tuesday, Prince Edward Island announced that a mask rule in public areas would be extended until April 28.
A new COVID-19 outbreak has hit much of Canada, just as officials lifted restrictions on the virus's propagation, including a mask requirement in most public places.
Last month, Quebec announced a proposal to remove forced masking, but due to a new surge of illnesses, public health professionals revised their advice, according to Boileau.
On Tuesday, 1,479 individuals were admitted to hospitals in Quebec due to COVID-19, up 72 from the day before. Although health authorities and research imply that infections are underestimated due to the extensive use of home tests, the province reported 2,615 new cases.
Last month, Ontario, Canada's most populated province, removed its mask requirement in all places except healthcare and public transportation.
Although Ontario's Science Advisory Table is modifying its modeling, the province's health ministry stated on Tuesday that local health units could apply their own measures, and the province's hospitals can handle the increase.
According to Boileau, the Omicron BA.2 subvariant accounts for 75% of new cases. He used the occasion yesterday to advise Quebecers that if they test positive for COVID-19 or develop symptoms, they must be quarantined for five days.
"You can be contagious for 10 days. That is not the time to go to a restaurant, to see a concert, to participate in sports, or to invite friends over to your house," he explained.
Quebecers aged 70 and older will be able to sign up for their fourth COVID-19 booster shot on Clic Santé beginning Wednesday.
Boileau added that after the third dose, at least three months must have passed, though the ideal is four to five months before taking another booster.
