Mandatory vaccinations in Quebec health-care sector coming, vaccine passport exemptions given to two groups
Quebec's Health Minister Christian Dube said Tuesday that mandatory vaccinations are coming for health-care workers, and the Health Ministry (MSSS) will grant vaccine passport rule exemptions for certain people in the province who have not been double-vaccinated with the approved COVID-19 vaccines.
"We'll watch how it goes, and we will adjust as we go," Dube said in a news conference on Tuesday.
He said details will be revealed later in the week.
Director of public health Horacio Arruda said his office is taking in information from all relevant stakeholders in the industry before launching the plan.
"The devil is in the details in the precision that we have to bring to everything," said Arruda.
VACCINATION PASSPORT EXEMPTIONS
The ministry said that those who participated in the local Medicago vaccine trial and those "with contraindications to vaccination against COVID-19" will not be penalized when the VaxiCode passport system goes into effect tomorrow.
"People with contraindications to vaccination against COVID 19, including those who meet the conditions described in the Quebec Immunization Protocol, will be able to obtain a vaccine passport," the ministry said in a news release.
Those with contraindications must receive a note from a doctor and present it at a vaccination centre to fall into this category. They can then register at the Clic Sante site under the new option.
Those around 300 people who signed up for the Medicago study will also be able to obtain a QR code that can be used as a passport.
In addition, Quebec's ministry said it is working with other provinces and the federal government to automate devices so they can read QR codes from out of province.
"In the meantime, it should be noted that people from other provinces or countries will be able to present official proof of vaccination issued by the province or country of residence, as well as proof of identity with an address outside Quebec, to gain access to the places and activities covered by the rollout of the vaccine passport," the release reads.
VACCINE PASSPORT INSPECTORS
The Health Minister said he hopes there will not be a need for vaccine passport inspectors, but that businesses and citizens will be fined if they do not respect health measures.
"The vaccination passport is one of those rules," said Dube.
He said police will be responsible for handing out fines much like with mask and distancing mandates.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Guilty: Trump becomes first former U.S. president convicted of felony crimes
Donald Trump became the first former American president to be convicted of felony crimes Thursday as a New York jury found him guilty of all 34 charges in a scheme to illegally influence the 2016 election through a hush money payment to a porn actor who said the two had sex.
Can Trump come to Canada now that he's a convicted felon?
A Canadian immigration lawyer says now that Donald Trump is a convicted felon, he is technically barred from crossing the border into Canada.
Montreal tech billionaire charged with several sex offences
Robert Miller was charged Thursday with several sexual assault charges after Montreal police reopened an investigation into the tech billionaire.
Police: 3 killed, including suspected gunman, in Minneapolis shooting
Three people, including the suspected gunman, are dead after a shooting Thursday at a Minneapolis apartment complex, police said.
'Why didn't they stop?' Mom asks of driver in hit-and-run crash that killed son
The mother of a 13-year-old boy who was killed in a hit-and-run in Edmonton is begging the driver to come forward.
The northern lights are returning to night skies across Canada this Friday
If you missed the brilliant displays of the aurora borealis over North America on May 10, you may have another chance to see them on Friday night.
A pair enjoyed pricey meals and bolted when it was time to pay. Their dine and dash ended in jail
A Welsh couple who dined out on pricey meals and bolted when the bill came is now paying the price, behind bars.
$400K in damages for B.C. woman who had unnecessary mastectomy was 'inordinately high,' court finds
A jury's award of $400,000 to a woman who had a mastectomy after being misdiagnosed with breast cancer has been substantially reduced by B.C.'s highest court, which found the damages were "wholly disproportionate."