Everything You Need To Know About Quebec's New 4th Wave COVID-19 Measures

On Tuesday, Premier François Legault announced that Quebec would add new measures to mitigate the potential effects of the fourth wave of COVID-19 in the province.

"The fourth wave is here. The Delta variant is hyper-contagious and there is a real risk, both in terms of hospitalizations and deaths. So, once again, I call on you to get vaccinated," Legault said at a press conference.

Mandatory vaccinations for health care workers

Legault announced that Quebec's health care workers will need to be fully vaccinated in order to continue working.

"Public Health [...] recommends making the vaccination mandatory for health workers who are in contact with patients," said Legault on Tuesday. "We'll follow this recommendation."

According to Legault, 90% of the province's health care workers are vaccinated but the remaining 10% are posing a real risk to the health network.

Teachers and other public servants will not fall under this mandate, however.

Health care workers would have until September 1 to get their first dose and until October 1 to get their second dose before they are barred from working, Legault said.

He said he hopes to hold consultations with the public and with opposition parties next week in order to discuss and debate the idea of compulsory vaccination.

Mandatory masks in CEGEPs and universities

The government will follow public health recommendations and make masks mandatory for all students and staff in CEGEPs and universities.

Legault backtracked on the previous plan to allow students to forgo masks in CEGEP and university classrooms due to increasing COVID-19 cases.

"The number of contacts will increase with the return to school in two weeks, so we have to do a vaccination blitz in the next two weeks," Legault said.

"The risk of getting COVID far exceeds the risk of getting the vaccine [...] for your health, for the health of your close ones and to avoid a new wave of hospitalizations."

Health Canada has a robust website with all the latest information on COVID-19 vaccines and can answer any questions you may have.