Advertisement

Quebec pulls plug on 2 concerts meant to test COVID-19 safety protocols

Click to play video: 'Quebec mandates COVID-19 vaccinations for health-care providers who work with patients'
Quebec mandates COVID-19 vaccinations for health-care providers who work with patients
WATCH: Quebec mandates COVID-19 vaccinations for health-care providers who work with patients – Aug 17, 2021

Quebec will not go ahead with its planned test to hold two concerts to examine the impact of COVID-19 on large gatherings.

Caroline Proulx, the province’s tourism minister, announced the decision Wednesday, citing a rise in new novel coronavirus cases and the presence of the Delta variant.

“By making the decision now to put an end to it, we are acting responsibly to protect the health of the population and to manage public finances effectively,” Proulx said in a statement.

“We will continue to work with our festival and event promoters and public health to ensure a safe relaunch of event activities in Quebec.”

Receive the latest medical news and health information delivered to you every Sunday.

Get weekly health news

Receive the latest medical news and health information delivered to you every Sunday.
By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.

READ MORE: Quebec to hold COVID-19 experiment in September involving 2 large-scale concerts

The pair of concerts involving a total of 25,000 people had been scheduled for September in the Quebec City area. Reseachers at Université Laval were supposed to oversee the experiment.

Story continues below advertisement

The cancellation comes one day after the province announced new measures to clamp down on the fourth wave of the pandemic. This includes mandating vaccines for health-care workers in regular contact with patients and making masks mandatory in post-secondary institutions.

Quebec has seen an uptick in infections in recent weeks, with the province back above 400 new cases on Wednesday.

Click to play video: 'COVID-19 update'
COVID-19 update

With files from The Canadian Press

Sponsored content

AdChoices