pcr testing for covid-19 becomes restricted to only certain high-risk groups, including healthcare workers, patients in hospital, and indigenous communities. january 6 — minister dubé announces that the vaccine passport will apply to provincial alcohol and cannabis stores, and other non-essential services as of january 18. additionally, he confirms that once third doses become widely available, the vaccine passport will only be valid for people who have received a third dose. january 10 — the national director of public health, dr. horacio arruda, resigns after nearly two years of managing the pandemic, and is replaced in the interim by dr. luc boileau. january 11 — premier legault announces plans to require those who have not received at least one vaccine dose to pay an annual contribution santé ("health contribution", also referred to in english-language media as a "health tax"). january 13 — only two weeks after it came into effect, premier legault announces that the curfew will be lifted on january 17, 2022, the same day that primary and secondary schools will reopen for in-person classes with mandatory masking. additionally, as of january 23, 2022, stores will be able to open again on sundays. on january 24, the vaccine passport will start applying to big-box stores with a surface area of more than 1,500 m2. addressing the controversy around his proposal to charge unvaccinated residents an annual "tax", the premier emphasizes that there will be a debate on the proposal in the assemblée nationale. legault also reveals that his government has ordered 70 million rapid tests from a quebec-based company, some of which will be produced in montreal, and that they will soon begin distributing them to students. january 17 — the curfew is lifted in all regions of quebec, and schools reopen after an extended winter break. january 24 — the vaccine passport is expanded to big-box stores, excluding pharmacies, gas stations, and stores whose "principal activity" is selling groceries. customers who are not adequately protected can still access pharmacies that are within stores, but they will have to be accompanied by an employee and they cannot make any other purchases in the store. january 25 — premier legault announces that restrictions will be loosened starting on january 31, 2022, when restaurants can open for indoor dining at 50% capacity, youth sports can restart, and private gatherings of four people (or two households) can take place again. on february 7, theatres, venues, and places of worship can reopen again at 50% capacity, with a maximum of 500 people in cultural spaces and a maximum of 250 people in places of worship. january 26 — the quebec government releases a website where quebecers can declare the results of their rapid test. january 31 — private gatherings, limited to four people or two households, become permitted again. restaurants open at 50% capacity and youth sports restart. february freedom convoy protest in front of the national assembly in quebec city on february 5 february 1 — premier legault backtracks on his proposed "health tax" for unvaccinated people, citing the "social cohesion" of the province. he also announces that gyms can re-open at half capacity and sports can restart on february 14, 2022. february 5 — a week after the arrival of a convoy of protesters in ottawa, a similar convoy of thousands of people arrives in quebec city, demanding the lifting of covid-19 restrictions. february 6 — trucks and cars parked in front of the national assembly of quebec in protest of covid-19 restrictions and vaccine mandates are ordered to leave. vehicles that do not leave will be fined or towed. february 7 — theatres, venues, and places of worship reopen at 50% capacity. february 8 — premier legault announces a timeline for the lifting of most restrictions by march 14, 2022. no dates on the suspension of the vaccine passport or the mask mandate are revealed. planned timeline for lifting of restrictions date measures february 12 abolition of the limit on private indoor gatherings, though public health authorities still recommend keeping them to a maximum of 10 people. increase on the limit of people allowed per table in restaurants to 10. lifting of restrictions on visitors of chslds and rpas. anyone with a valid vaccine passport will be able to visit. february 14 reopening of gyms and other indoor sports facilities at 50% capacity. increase on the limit of outdoor events to 5,000 people. february 21 all stores can open at 100% capacity. removal of the absolute capacity limit (500 people) for indoor venues. venues will still be restricted to a relative limit of 50%. february 28 restarting of sports tournaments and competitions. lifting of the remote working mandate, though it will remain recommended. increase on the capacity limit in places of worship and indoor venues to 100%, with the exception of the videotron centre in quebec city and the bell centre in montreal. reopening of bars and caissos at 50% capacity. no dancing or karaoke allowed. restaurants and bars must close by 1:00 a.m. march 14 lifting of restriction on dance and karaoke in bars. increase on the capacity limit in restaurants, bars, and large venues (the videotron centre and the bell centre) to 100%. february 12 — thousands of protesters in montreal march in protest of covid-19 vaccine mandates, and in support of the trucker convoy still protesting in ottawa for the third weekend in a row. february 14 — gyms and spas reopen after being closed for two months. february 15 — minister dubé announces a gradual suspension of the vaccine passport, starting with big-box stores, cannabis stores, and liquor stores on february 16. on february 21, it will no longer be required for funeral homes and places of worship, and on march 14, it will be lifted in its entirety. february 16 — in preparation for the third weekly protest against covid-19 restrictions, quebec city indefinitely bans alcohol and barbecues in public parks. the head of quebec city's police service is also granted unrestricted permission to make any decisions necessary with regard to traffic circulation, parking, and road closures. february 20 — over the weekend protest, four arrests were made for assault and acts of indecency, 63 tickets were given out for violating municipal laws, 75 for not respecting road safety, and almost 30 for parking. february 22 — the quebec government announces that students in elementary and high school will no longer have to wear a mask in classrooms starting on march 7, 2022. march march 2 — the quebec government moves up the suspension of the vaccine passport by two days, to march 12. the same day, all public spaces will be able to open at 100% capacity. the province also gives its first estimate as to when the mask mandate will end, suggesting that the mandate could be suspended by mid-april. march 10 — dr. boileau announces that asymptomatic people who have been in close contact with someone who has tested positive for covid-19 will no longer have to self-isolate as of march 12, the same day that most other remaining covid-19 restrictions are meant to be lifted. march 12 — almost all remaining covid-19 restrictions are discontinued, including the vaccine passport, capacity limits, the limit on visitors in long-term care homes, and reduced hours for certain establishments. additionally, indoor high school proms will be allowed to take place for the first time in two years. march 23 — the quebec government announces that fourth doses will be given to people considered vulnerable or at-risk, including residents of long-term care homes, people 80 years of age and older, and immunocompromised people. anyone eligible can book their appointment once at least three months have elapsed since they received their third dose. march 30 — the inspq declares that quebec is currently undergoing a sixth wave of covid-19, with the majority of cases resulting from ba.2 infections. april april 1 — the antiviral drug paxlovid becomes approved for prescription by pharmacists in quebec. pharmacists can prescribe the drug only to patients who have tested positive for covid-19, are currently experiencing symptoms, and are at risk of developing more severe symptoms. however, if a patient's condition worsens after two days on the drug, they must be directed to a doctor or nurse. april 5 — the mask mandate, which was supposed to end in mid-april, is extended until at least april 30. the province cites rising cases and hospitalizations as their reasoning; all other provinces, with the exception of p.e.i., have lifted the mask mandate, despite experiencing a similar new wave of the virus. april 10 — quebec reaches 1 million cumulative cases of covid-19. april 21 — the mask mandate is extended to mid-may. april 29 — prime minister trudeau and premier legault announce that a moderna vaccine production facility, set to be operational by 2024, will be constructed in montreal. may may 4 — dr. boileau announces that as of may 14, masks will no longer be mandatory in indoor spaces, except on public transit and in healthcare settings. the same day, quebec's institute of statistics releases provincial life expectancy data for 2021. while life expectancy declined from 82.9 years to 82.3 years in 2020, it recovered in 2021 and increased to a record 83 years. may 9 — héma-québec releases a seroprevalence study that estimates that over 25% of quebec's adult population contracted covid-19 during the first two and a half months of 2022. may 14 — nearly two years after it was first instated, the mask mandate for most indoor spaces ends in all of quebec. june june 1 — the province's state of emergency comes to an end. june 8 — minister dubé announces that masks will no longer be mandatory on public transit starting on june 18. however, it will remain mandatory in healthcare settings. june 14 — quebec's emergency assistance to small and medium-sized businesses program and temporary concerted action program for businesses program, both of which offered financial aid to businesses affected by the pandemic, come to an end. june 18 — masks on public transit become optional. august august 16 — as part of a renewed vaccination campaign, fifth doses become available to those aged 75 and up. august 22 — fifth doses become available to those aged 60 and up and to people aged 12 and up who are immunocompromised. august 29 — fifth doses become available to all adults in quebec. november november 13 — driven by rising cases of respiratory viruses among children, as well as waning immunity to covid-19, the collège des médecins du québec reinstates its recommendation to wear masks in public spaces. november 16 — echoing recent suggestions from medical and professional organizations around the country, minister dubé recommends to quebecers to wear masks in crowded public spaces. however, the previous day, premier legault ruled out reintroducing the mask mandate, at least in the short-term. november 24 — the latest data from the inspq reveals that the bq.1.1 subvariant of the omicron variant now constitutes about a third of new cases of covid-19 in quebec. 2023 january january 18 — the quebec government limits its recommendation to get booster shots to at-risk groups, including people aged 60 and over, rpa and chsld residents, people who are immunocompromised or on dialysis, healthcare workers, pregnant women, and adults who live in isolated regions. previously, booster shots had been recommended to everyone for whom it had been six months or more since their last dose. february february 1 — access to prescriptions of the antiviral drug paxlovid is expanded to include fully vaccinated people who are at risk of complications, or whose last vaccine dose was administered over six months ago. february 2 — the recommendation to get a booster shot is limited even further, now applying only to those who have never been infected with covid-19. april april 7 — the quebec government drops the mask mandate in healthcare settings. however, individual facilities may still choose to require it.