Hospitalizations drop by more than 100 as Quebec adds 56 new COVID-19 deaths Boileau, however, dashed hopes that the positive numbers meant the province would further ease health measures immediately.
He said Quebec would take a “week-by-week” approach to lifting restrictions.The province has already announced it would loosen some restrictions on private gatherings and youth sports next week, as well as allow dining rooms to reopen at half capacity.
The following week, on Feb. 7, entertainment and sports venues will be allowed to reopen at 50 per cent capacity, with attendance capped at 500 people.Boileau said he hopes the province will be able to make further announcements in the following weeks.But he said Quebec’s low hospital capacity, as well as a slower COVID-19 booster campaign, prevents the province from moving as quickly as other jurisdictions.
England, for example, announced Thursday that it was dropping nearly all its health measures, including mandatory masking and vaccine passports.“The number of beds and the number of availabilities and the number of personnel, also, is inferior in all proportion to what we see in other jurisdictions, including England,” he said.Boileau said that so far, less than 80 per cent of Quebecers 60 and up have had their third COVID-19 shot.