The Canadian province of Quebec announced on Tuesday that it will impose a tax on residents that have not been vaccinated against COVID-19.
Almost 90% of Quebec residents have received at least one dose of A covid-19 vaccine. Although, the other 10% of residents in Quebec that are unvaccinated reportedly make up a majority of the people that have been hospitalized.
Quebec Premier Francois Legault spoke at a news conference on Tuesday to announce the new tax.
"Right now, these people, they put a very important burden on our health care network, and I think it's normal that the majority of the population is asking that there be a consequence," Legault said.
"It's a question also of fairness for the 90% of the population who made some sacrifices -- and I think we owe them this kind of measure," Legault added.
The tax would not apply to those who have received a medical exemption.
It's unclear how much the imposed tax will cost someone, but Legault said it would be a "significant" amount.
There are 2,742 COVID-19 patients currently hospitalized in Quebec and about 255 are in intensive care, according to Agence France-Presse.
Quebec announced last week that residents would have to be vaccinated in order to purchase alcohol or cannabis. Christian Dubé, Quebec's health minister, said in a tweet on Jan. 7 that vaccination appointments spiked following the announcement.
"In just a few days, the appointments for the 1st dose went from 1.5K per day to over 6K yesterday. Thank you to everyone who decided to get vaccinated. It is not too late to receive your 1st dose. Protect yourself," Dubé tweeted.
He tweeted another update on Jan. 12, calling the rise in vaccine appointments "encouraging."
Appointments for the 1st dose continue to increase. About 5K appointments were taken on January 10 and 7K yesterday, our record for several days. Appointments were taken in all age groups... 107K doses administered yesterday... It's encouraging!" Dubé tweeted.
Proof of vaccination is currently required to eat in restaurants, go to the gym or attend sporting events. Last month, a 10 p.m. curfew was imposed to help stop the spread of the virus.
Quebec isn't the first to tax people for not getting the vaccine, as Italy imposed a fine of 600-1,500 euros (approximately $680-$1,700) for those 50 and older that refuse to get vaccinated, a government source told CNN.
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