Coronavirus: What's happening in Canada and around the world on Tuesday
CBC
The latest:
Quebec — which started to reopen on Monday — will no longer proceed with a plan to impose a tax on people who aren't vaccinated against COVID-19.
Premier François Legault said during an afternoon briefing that he heard that there was opposition to the idea and he didn't want to cause further division.
"It's time to rebuild the bridges between Quebecers," he said in French. "I understand that this divides Quebecers.... Quebecers must remain united."
The premier announced on Jan. 11 he planned to make the unvaccinated pay a significant financial penalty because they were overrepresented in the health-care system.
About 10 per cent of people in the province's eligible population are unvaccinated.
Legault also announced that as of Feb. 14, sports and artistic activities will resume, and gyms and spas will reopen at 50 per cent capacity.
A situation report published by health officials in the province on Tuesday showed 2,852 hospitalizations — down by 36 from a day earlier — with 218 people in intensive care. The province also reported 63 additional deaths and 2,730 lab-confirmed cases.
In Ontario, which also began easing pandemic restrictions this week, health officials on Tuesday said hospitalizations in the province stood at 3,091 — up by 108 from a day earlier — with 568 people in intensive care units. The province also reported 63 deaths and 2,622 additional lab-confirmed cases.
Premier Doug Ford, who appeared at a news conference alongside his minister of long-term care on Tuesday, said the government is taking a "cautious" approach to reopening and pointed to its multi-phase reopening plan.
The premier's remarks came as the Ontario COVID-19 science advisory table put out new modelling to look at how that reopening might impact cases and hospitalizations.
Health Minister Christine Elliott said at the briefing Tuesday that Ontario does have capacity in its hospital system, noting that even if numbers do go up slightly the province will be ready to deal with it.
The province moved in early January to pause non-urgent procedures as Omicron surged, throwing many patients in limbo as they waited for word on when they would be seen. A plan is in place to resume some of the paused procedures, but concerns around backlogs remain after massive disruptions to the health-system caused by the lengthy pandemic.
-From CBC News and The Canadian Press, last updated at 1:30 p.m. ET
