Quebec Would Make Vaccination Mandatory If Necessary, Says Dubé

With the number of new COVID-19 cases soaring, Quebec announced a tightening of health measures on December 22 — and Premier François Legault said the government wouldn't hesitate to add more measures in the next few days if needed. But could it eventually go even further to the point of vaccination becoming mandatory in Quebec?

According to Health and Social Services Minister Christian Dubé, it's not off the table.

"If we have to go there, we'll go there. Right now, we're not there yet," said Dubé at Wednesday's press conference when asked about making COVID-19 vaccines obligatory in the province. He was also asked about the possibility of only confining the most vulnerable Quebecers rather than the entire population.

"Quebecers have done so much when it comes to vaccination, so I think we must respect everything that was done by Quebecers thus far," Dubé said.

The minister noted that, aside from recent measures that affect everyone, vaccinated Quebecers had been able to return to a semblance of normalcy, unlike those who had not received their two doses of COVID-19 vaccine.

"Over the past few weeks and months, Quebecers who got vaccinated were able to have a bit of a more normal life, which is not the case for the unvaccinated [...] We need a vaccine passport. We've done quite a bit to make a big difference between the vaccinated and the unvaccinated," he said.

Despite this, the government's message remained clear: "If we needed to go further, and that's what we discussed, we will, but today under the circumstances, we are able to get through it," he said. "If it is necessary to go further in prohibiting unvaccinated people, since the situation could deteriorate, we will not hesitate to do so."

According to Legault, 10% of Quebec adults who are unvaccinated account for 50% of hospitalizations.