Quebec Will Allow Bigger Holiday Gatherings — But Only The Vaccinated Are Invited

At a press conference on Tuesday, December 7, Health Minister Christian Dubé announced that the province is tweaking its private gathering rules for the upcoming holiday period. The good news is that you can indeed invite more people to your Christmas party — as long as everyone is vaccinated, that is.

As many as 20 vaccinated people will be allowed to attend a private gathering as of December 23.

Dubé added that the government is relying on Quebecers' sense of responsibility in the application of health measures.

"For example," he said, "in restaurants at this moment, there's probably been some relaxation [in the health measures] and there will be Christmas parties at restaurants in these next few weeks [...] It's okay but please, make sure people are vaccinated and that you ask for the vaccine passport."

The health minister explained this slight tweak in the regulations comes after a recommendation from National Public Health Director Dr. Horacio Arruda and his team. Before this announcement, only up to 10 people were allowed in private gatherings.

Dr. Arruda personally recommended against inviting friends and family who aren't vaccinated to a private gathering. He cautioned Quebecers to enforce measures like social distancing and mask-wearing if they do attend.

Dubé said that generally, public health officials still "[ask] that we continue to limit our contacts if we want to continue to control the virus."

"We count on Quebecers to be responsible and on their judgement, as we have done from the start to continue to respect health measures."