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quebec mask

As the winter chill brought Montreal's first snowfall of the season, Quebec's government officials have clarified the role of masking in preventing respiratory illness during the colder months. Though masking is not mandatory outside of hospitals, it has been formally recommended in public places as of a November 16 press conference.

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Amid sustained high case numbers brought on by the seventh wave of COVID-19, Quebec Public Health Director Dr. Luc Boileau reiterated his belief that a renewed mask mandate is not necessary to stem the current tide of infections — especially since, according to the director, we've just about passed the peak of the latest wave without one.

"We don't see the pertinence of reintroducing mandatory mask-wearing," Boileau told reporters during a July 29 press conference. "We've gotten through most of the wave. We're probably at the plateau. We were able to get here without imposing new measures."

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In a press conference thursday afternoon, the senior strategic medical advisor of the Direction générale de la santé publique of the Ministère de la Santé et des Services sociaux (MSSS), Dr. Marie-France Raynault, explained the province’s current approach to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Raynault cited INSPQ polls which she says showed that Quebecers have "very varied understandings" of what it means to be living with COVID-19.

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Interim National Public Health Director Dr. Luc Boileau will hold an 11 a.m. Quebec press conference Wednesday and is expected to confirm an end date for the province's mask mandate — at least in most spaces.

Multiple outlets report that Boileau is sticking to the May 14 deadline he tentatively set on April 28.

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The Quebec mask mandate is projected to end in most enclosed public spaces on May 14, Interim National Public Health Director Dr. Luc Boileau said at a Thursday press conference.

He cautioned, however, that officials would not confirm an end date for face-covering rules until next week when, he said, they would have a better sense of the direction of the COVID-19 situation as the sixth wave winds down.

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A Quebec public health press conference could bring news about the end of the mask mandate. Interim National Public Health Director Dr. Luc Boileau is scheduled to give an update on the province's COVID-19 situation at 2 p.m. Thursday.

The conference comes two weeks ahead of the projected end to face-covering requirements in most enclosed public spaces. Boileau has already twice pushed that deadline, first from mid-April to the beginning of May and then to mid-May.

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Interim National Public Health Director Dr. Luc Boileau announced at a Thursday press conference that the Quebec COVID-19 mask mandate will stay in place until mid-May.

The mandate was originally supposed to end everywhere except public transit in mid-April. In light of the sixth wave of COVID-19 infections spurred by the BA.2 variant, Boileau pushed that deadline to the end of April. Now he's pushing it two weeks further.

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The Quebec mask mandate will last longer than initially planned. While officials had said that face-covering rules would end in most places in mid-April, Interim National Public Health Director Dr. Luc Boileau confirmed on Tuesday that public health has officially recommended that the government maintain the mandate through April.

That means Quebecers will have to continue masking up in enclosed public spaces. Boileau said officials would continue to evaluate the necessity of the measure.

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You may have been looking forward to packing away all your masks until the next pandemic, but they might be useful for a little longer. While officials had planned on ending the Quebec mask mandate for most public spaces in mid-April, it's looking like that deadline will be postponed.

"We're considering whether it would be appropriate to push back that date," interim National Public Health Director Dr. Luc Boileau said on Radio-Canada on April 3. "It's certainly conceivable that recommendations will go in that direction."

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Ontario may have largely ditched mandatory mask-wearing but Quebecers will likely have to keep their face-coverings handy for at least a few more weeks. Despite hopes that Quebec mask mandates might end earlier than originally projected, Interim National Public Health Director Dr. Luc Boileau said Wednesday the province will stick to its mid-April target.

Officials anticipate mask rules will persist beyond that date for public transit. In its original timeline, the government said mandatory masking in transit would end in May "at the earliest," but Boileau didn't provide a date on Wednesday.

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The pandemic has been a time defined by adaptation as we all saw our lifestyles and priorities drastically shift. This has been especially true for immunocompromised folks, for whom a COVID-19 infection could be extremely serious. Inspired by his late daughter, one Quebec man has created a simple way to help immunosuppressed individuals be just a little safer.

Louis Sansfaçon was first inspired to create the Immunoclip while on a walk with his daughter, Émilie, who had just finished a round of chemotherapy in the hospital. While walking, they passed a man who wasn't wearing a mask. "Émilie told me, 'Dad, that guy doesn't know that I'm fighting for my life, for my health,'" said Sansfaçon.

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A week after a public health official said a plan was in the works to end the Quebec mask mandate, officials are reportedly ready to present it to the public.

TVA Nouvelles reports that the government is preparing to lay out how mask-wearing requirements will gradually fade from many parts of public life. An announcement is expected on Wednesday or Thursday.

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