In the province of Quebec, Canada, they have found the right way to incentivize a large slice of people who are reluctant to get vaccinated against Covid. From Thursday who wants to buy alcohol or marijuana, legal since October 2018, will have to provide proof of vaccination.
In the wake of this new rule – the New York Daily News writes – the appointments for the vaccination of the first dose in Quebec have quadrupled in the course of a day. Previously, there was around 1,500 appointments per day on average, but on Friday, Quebec Health Minister Christian Dubé announced that the number had risen to about 6,000.
The limitation will take effect on January 18 and will specifically affect the state-owned companies of the Crown, Societe des alcools du Quebec (SAQ) and Societe quebecoise du cannabis (SQDC). These are in fact the only places in Quebec where residents can purchase alcohol and marijuana products.
As of January 1, approximately 78% of Quebec residents were fully vaccinated – the fifth highest rate of full vaccination in all provinces of Canada, behind British Columbia, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador. However, this is a percentage higher than any state in the United States, where Vermont leads with 77.8%.
The new requirement was introduced as most Canadian provinces, despite a relatively high number of vaccinations, are starting to see growth in Covid cases and hospital admissions, coinciding with the spread of the Omicron variant. In new cases, in fact, from three thousand to 40 thousand in one month. Canadian Health Minister Christian Dubé admitted that “the moment is very difficult, but we are taking all measures to ensure that we minimize the impact on our staff, on our system.” In Quebec, only those who are vaccinated have access to health facilities, sports facilities, cinemas, bars and clubs, with exemptions for children under the age of 13. And a curfew was instituted from 10pm to 5am.