Quebec COVID-19 Rules For Easter & Passover Are Kind Of Up To You
There will be no new gathering restrictions, but the public health boss is asking everyone to be responsible.
Quebec interim National Public Health Director Luc Boileau speaking at a press conference.
So Easter and Passover are on in Quebec this year... sort of. At least it'll be better than last year. In a press conference on April 13, interim National Public Health Director Dr. Luc Boileau dolled out what we know about the Omicron variant and Omicron BA.2 subvariant, then left it in the hands of Quebecers to make smart choices.
"We're not suggesting not to gather," Dr. Boileau said. "We're suggesting to do so being conscious of the risk and being careful with who we are going to meet."
So far, the most common Omicron and BA.2 symptoms are a sore throat and an "irritated voice."
Dr. Boileau specified that anyone with symptoms, even mild ones, should isolate for at least five days, and then maintain good social distancing habits for an additional five days after that. This may sound like a lot for a scratchy throat, but you can still be contagious for up to 10 days of infection, symptomatic or not.
Officials haven't put a limit on the number of people at private gatherings over the long weekend, but they are calling on people to err on the side of caution and to use common sense: if you're feeling a bit sick, don't go to church; if a member of your family is immunocompromised, maybe host them virtually at this year's seder.
As of April 12, there were a total of 2,060 COVID-19 hospitalizations in the province, so we're not out of the woods yet. The message from the government is clear: be safe this weekend and be smart.