Quebec Police Won't Be Trolling For Holiday Gathering Rulebreakers, According To Dubé

Quebec has officially cancelled expanded holiday gatherings, keeping the number of people allowed in homes capped at 10 instead of 20. While this may mean you need to whittle down your guest list, it doesn't mean you should expect a random visit from police officers.

At a press conference announcing new COVID-19 health measures on Thursday evening, Dubé said the government is not going to send cops to inspect people's homes in search of rulebreakers. Rather, he said, they will "trust the sense of responsibility of Quebecers."

"We are going to be relying on Quebecers. The day that Quebecers know they have to reduce the number of contacts, they'll do it themselves out of a feeling of responsibility," said Dubé.

Dubé acknowledged that there will be an increased police presence at bars and restaurants in the coming weeks, but he noted that the special operation is specifically meant to "support business owners" to make sure they don't have problems implementing vaccine passports, and ensuring everyone is respecting the vaccine passport requirement.

Premier François Legault also chimed in to tell Quebecers that "it's not a question of getting caught or not." He said to look at the spiking number of COVID-19 cases, which reached 2,736 on Thursday, the most in a single day since early January 2021, as well as the increasing number of hospitalizations.

"Quebecers have to think of themselves, their own health and the health of the people they love as well as the health care network because we don't know who's going to need those services at some point," Legault said. "There's a risk and I ask Quebecers to use their judgement."