François Legault: Unvaccinated adults in Quebec will be fined

In a press conference this afternoon, Quebec Premier François Legault announced that unvaccinated adults without a valid medical exemption will be fined. The amount of the fine, or tax — which Legault is calling a “healthcare contribution” — is yet to be determined but will be put in the place in the coming weeks, giving people who’ve yet to receive any shot the time to make an appointment or go to a walk-in clinic.

When asked for details by reporters, Legault said that unvaccinated Quebecers will not be billed for hospitalization, and that the contribution will be “a significant amount” of money.

The Premier noted that despite 90% of the province’s population having received the first two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, the 10% of unvaccinated adults make up 50% of active ICU hospitalizations. He estimated that 1,000 more healthcare workers and 1,500 CHSLD staff will be needed in the coming weeks to keep the ailing healthcare system afloat.

Legault was joined by Health Minister Christian Dubé and the new interim national director of public health, Dr. Luc Boileau, who is filling in after yesterday’s resignation of Horacio Arruda.

Le premier ministre, accompagné du ministre de la Santé et des Services sociaux et du nouveau directeur national de la santé publique par intérim, fait le point sur la situation sanitaire.

????Pour tous les détails, suivez notre diffusion en direct???? https://t.co/qmYlU7uWjL

— François Legault (@francoislegault) January 11, 2022

This article was originally published at 1:15 p.m. and updated at 2:31 p.m.

---

For the latest in news, please visit the News section.