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Quebec police are now handing out fines to anyone who is not wearing a face mask when required under public health regulations. Starting last Saturday, face mask fines have begun to be handed out to those not wearing a mask indoors, as required by law, on Premier François Legault’s anti-COVID-19 initiative.
Premier François Legault Cracks Down With Face Mask Fines
“There is an overwhelming majority who follow the instructions, but unfortunately, there is a small minority of irresponsible people who do not follow the instructions,” said François Legault. “We cannot accept that a few irresponsible individuals put our entire society at risk.”
COVID-19 statistics in the province shows, “a trend we don’t like” even though the situation is still “under control”, he added. The province has now surpassed 20 cases per million inhabitants, a threshold that was set by the government.
The face mask fine rule “applies throughout Quebec,” but “police forces are being asked to concentrate mainly in the yellow zones, where, proportionally speaking, there are more cases,” said François Legault.
The new face mask fines will not apply to outdoor events where people are not wearing masks, Premier Legault pointed out.
The fines are reportedly expected to range from $400 to $6,000.
Quebec COVID-19 Cases Continue to Soar
As of now, the key affected areas are Québec City, Laval, the Eastern Townships and the Outaouais.
Quebec City carried out a record number of over 26,000 COVID-19 tests on Wednesday. Additionally, hospitalizations continue to rise as Quebec reports 219 new 
confirmed cases of COVID-19.
People who have gone to testing clinics reportedly had to wait several hours to be tested. François Legault called the situation unacceptable, while maintaining that the number of tests per million is comparable to other provinces.
There has been “an influx of people in some places that we did not expect,” acknowledged Health and Social Services Minister Christian Dubé. He announced that testing clinics will be added.
A region’s alert level is based on three criteria:
- The epidemiological situation
- The rate of transmission
- The capacity of the region’s health care system
There are currently four regions in the yellow tier in the province, and Quebec’s other regions, including Montreal, are in the lowest tier.
Businesses Welcome Mask Fines
In a statement, the Canadian Federation of Independent Business said it welcomes the new fines, which it determined will reverse the onus from business owners to consumers.
According to Premier Legault, the government is implementing these stricter penalties because of a recent spike in COVID-19 cases in the province.
COVID-19 transmission in bars, commercial areas, gatherings with family and friends all remain a key concern among the province’s public health experts.
The province moved to ban karaoke in bars after one event at a Quebec City bar led to an outbreak of more than 80 cases. These COVID-19 cases have been linked to two Quebec bars, which generated at least 18 secondary cases.
According to the most recent data from last Tuesday, the Capitale-Nationale regional health board confirmed 68 cases linked to the bar Le Kirouac and 12 more to La Souche bar in the Limoilou neighbourhood.
“What we’ve been seeing in recent weeks is that the source of a lot of these cases are coming from small parties or people that are not respecting the basic guidelines,” Dr. Cécile Tremblay, a microbiologist and infectious disease specialist at the CHUM, said in an interview.
“We have to target the people who aren’t respecting the guidelines because it puts those who are respecting them at risk,” she said.
Thus far, authorities have handed out 3,636 tickets for COVID-19 rule infractions (worth a total of $5.3 million) during the six-month coronavirus pandemic. Half of the tickets have been issued in Montreal.
Face Mask Class Action Lawsuit Canada
Many Canadians are banning together against mandatory face mask bylaws. Thousands of Montrealers protested the new mandatory mask rules on Saturday, walking from the McGill University gates to the former Radio-Canada headquarters on René-Lévesque Blvd. The march took place the day of Quebec’s introduction of a new level of enforcement and fines for those who flout the face mask rules.
Additionally, a recent constitutional challenge was launched against about 20 individuals, entities, municipal and regional governments, and public health agencies over COVID-19 mask rules.
The City of Edmonton is also the target of a $565 million lawsuit over the temporary mandatory mask bylaw. According to the lawsuit, the temporary mask law is a “nuisance” and a hazard to public health. The mandatory mask lawsuit also claims that the law has increased a flurry of used masks on the streets, potentially leading to a health hazard.
Have you been fined for not wearing a face mask? What do you think about the new face mask rules? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!
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