On June 1, 2022, the Québec government officially ended the province's state of emergency first declared in March 2020 to deal with the COVID-19 health crisis.

The government also lifted the COVID-19 mask mandate for public transportation on June 18, 2022. Mask mandates will remain in effect in health-care settings, including hospitals (excluding psychiatric hospitals), public and private long-term care facilities (public or private), CLSCs and most medical clinics.

Recap

Since October 2020, the Government of Québec has tightened and loosened restrictions on businesses as COVID-19 cases have increased and diminished. All businesses were permitted to reopen with capacity limits and vaccine passports were no longer required as of the middle of March 2022. The province's mandatory mask mandate, put in place in July 2020, was eliminated in all public places except public transport and health care settings on May 14, 2022.

The recommended measures for workplaces throughout Québec are established by the Commission des normes, de l'équité, de la santé et de la sécurité du travail (see the CNST's plan for adjustments to workplace health measures (non-healthcare setting) (available in French only) following the announcement of the elimination of mandatory masking.)

Rapid antigen tests for personal use are available at no cost, with limits on the number of tests each person may obtain. Here is more information on testing.

Vaccine Passports (phased out in March 2022)

As of March 12, 2022, the vaccine passport is no longer required for Québec businesses except it may be required for international travel and places and activities regulated by federal authorities. Here is more information on the vaccine passport.

Mandatory Masking (mainly eliminated June 18, 2022)

Masks remain mandatory only in health-care settings.

Other Restrictions

Remaining restrictions were lifted as of March 12, 2022.

Nunavik and Terres-cries-de-la-Baie-James

For information about the measures in force in Nunavik and Terres-cries-de-la-Baie-James, consult the websites of the Nunavik Regional Board of Health and Social Services (where there are currently no restrictions on travel although rapid antigen test prior to travel is strongly recommended) and the Cree Board of Health and Social Services of James Bay.

Going Forward

As set out here, the Government of Québec has lifted almost all of the COVID-19 restrictions still in place and intends to lift the last remaining ones as soon as it deems it reasonable to do so. When and if future waves come, the province will be closely monitoring the characteristics of the variant involved and the efficacy of the available vaccines.

The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.