The lifting of the obligation to wear a mask in certain closed public places does not prevent some from keeping theirs for a while longer, as a safety measure.

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"Before I take it off, I'd rather see how it's going to go. I find that in public places, people are not always respectful of distance, so for the moment, I observe, ”explains Manon Brodeur, met at CF Promenades St-Bruno, on Saturday.

Since Saturday, wearing a face covering is no longer compulsory in closed or partially covered public places, such as restaurants, shops and sports halls.

A few days before the measure was lifted, it was becoming increasingly difficult for some traders to enforce the wearing of masks.

"In the past few weeks, we've had to do more encores than usual. People knew the [lifting of the measure] was coming, so they paid less attention to it, ”says Alexandra Lafond, director of the Privilège Gym de Québec.

A little more

However, several citizens still prefer to keep their masks on, often to take the time to get used to the withdrawal of this measure.

François Pesant has decided that he will remove his mask and that of his son, Blaise, when school is over. "I think the government could have waited until after school, it would have been better to avoid the spread in schools and among children," he said.

Unlike the greater Montreal region, where many citizens still wore the mask, in Quebec, it was rather invisible during the passage of the Journal in several establishments.

“There are customers who are not sure yet. A few asked us if we were comfortable putting it back on if they came to see us because they were a little nervous about taking it off," says Josianne Tremblay, manager of the Coiffure distinctive salon in Charlesbourg.

Some people think they will wear their mask partially, especially when there are a lot of people. "There are places where I wouldn't feel comfortable without my mask so I'm going to keep it handy," promises Michel Boisclair, in Longueuil.

– With Jeremy Bernier