A bus carrying Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) medical personnel arrives at Villa Val des Arbres, a long-term care center for the elderly, to help amid the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) , in Montreal, Quebec, Canada on April 20, 2020. (Reuters)
OTTAWA – The Canadian province of Quebec is moving forward with a plan to levy a “health contribution” on adults who refuse to be vaccinated against COVID-19 and will release details soon, Premier François said Thursday. Legault.
Legault unveiled the proposal on Tuesday, sparking a national debate about how far governments could go to ensure widespread vaccinations as the Omicron variant spreads.
Ontario, the most populous of the 10 provinces, rejected the idea on the grounds that it was punitive.
A bill will be introduced in Quebec’s Legislative Assembly for debate early next month, Legault told reporters, dismissing opposition accusations that it unfairly targets the homeless, sick and sick. mental.
“It’s not about hurting people in difficulty. Our goal is to tell people who choose not to be vaccinated that there will be a price to pay because there will be an impact on society and how much our healthcare system costs,” he said.
Quebec says the contribution would be at least CAN$100 ($80). The idea may be legal, but could go against the spirit of Canada’s universal public health care system, rights and medical experts say.
Legault said experts believe COVID-19 cases peaked a few days earlier and if all goes well, they hope hospitalizations caused by the virus will eventually decline significantly.
He also announced that the province will lift a curfew imposed late last month next Monday to stop the spread of Omicron.
Ontario, which together with Quebec accounts for more than 60% of the country’s population, has separately said that Omicron transmissions could peak in the coming weeks.
“We’re not off the hook yet,” Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer Kieran Moore said during a briefing, stressing the need for continued vaccination efforts.
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