Quebec, the second most populous province in Canada, plans to force adults who refuse to be vaccinated against Covid-19 to pay a “health contribution” in a move likely to trigger a debate on individual rights and social responsibility .
Quebec Premier François Legault told reporters in a briefing on Tuesday that the proposal, details of which were still being finalized, would not apply to those who cannot be vaccinated for medical reasons.
Unvaccinated people are a financial burden on others and the province’s finance ministry determines a “significant” amount that unvaccinated residents will have to pay, Legault said, adding that this amount would not be less than Can $ 100 (1,622 pesos).
Governments around the world have imposed movement restrictions on not vaccinated and few have imposed fines on the elderly, but a blanket tax on all unvaccinated adults could be a rare and controversial measure.
Although such a tax may be justified in the context of a health emergencysaid Carolyn Ells, professor of medicine and health sciences at McGill University, whether she will survive a court challenge will depend on the details.
But Ells said he was surprised the government would take such a ‘dramatic’ step now, as options remain, such as enlargement. vaccination warrants.
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The provinces of Canada face a exponential increase in Covid-19 cases which has forced tens of thousands of people into self-isolation and overburdened the health sector.
The highly transmissible variant of the Omicron made restrictive measures difficult for slow down the spread and health experts have stressed the importance of getting vaccinated two and three times.
Quebec was one of the hardest hit, regularly recording the highest daily number of cases of coronavirus of all the provinces and putting several thousand health workers out of work.
“The vaccine is the key to fighting the virus. This is why we are looking for a health contribution for adults who refuse to be vaccinated for non-medical reasonssaid Legault.
Legault said that although the province has about 10% unvaccinated people, they make up about 50% of those in units of intensive care.
Legault and his CAQ party face the provincial elections in October.
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Monday, the Canadian Prime Minister, Justin trudeau, said the federal government had obtained enough doses of the Covid-19 vaccine for all eligible Canadians to receive a booster and a fourth dose.
Last month, the Quebec government announced that it “had no choice but to allow certain essential workers to continue working even after testing positive for Covid-19 in order to prevent staff shortages hamper their operations. health services. He also imposed restrictions on meetings. (Rts)
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