Quebec Premier Francois Legault says adult residents who refuse to get vaccinated against COVID-19 will be charged a financial penalty.
Legault made the announcement to reporters today in Montreal, adding that the levy will only apply to people who do not qualify for medical exemptions.
It is the first time a government in Canada has announced a financial penalty for people who refuse to be vaccinated against COVID-19.
Legault says the amount of the penalty hasn’t been decided but will be “significant.”
He says about 10 per cent of adults in Quebec are unvaccinated but they represent about 50 per cent of intensive care patients.
Earlier today, Quebec reported 62 more deaths attributed to the novel coronavirus, pushing the total number of people killed by COVID-19 in the province to 12,028, the most in Canada.
Since the pandemic was announced in March 2020, 3,301 Indigenous people in Quebec have contracted the virus.
According to the Indigenous Services website, “707 omicron cases are in First Nations communities in Eastern Canada.”
More coming.
