Slim majority of Canadians support latest lockdowns: Poll

The latest round of restriction sin Ontario and Quebec have been called among the hardest in the world. Data seems to back that up - but one Canadian talks to CityNews about living under even stricter measures - in New Zealand.

A new poll suggests a slim majority of Canadians support the latest round of lockdowns and other government-imposed restrictions as the Omicron variant fuels an explosion of new COVID-19 infections.

Fifty-six per cent of respondents in the poll conducted by Leger and the Association of Canadian Studies agreed governments are making the right decisions to limit the spread of Omicron and keep the health system from being overrun.

Another 31 per cent said they did not believe Omicron poses a serious health risk to most of those who are infected, and that governments should leave things open and let Canadians live with the risk.

The remaining 14 per cent said they did not know.

The results suggest there is a growing level of fatigue among Canadians when it comes to lockdowns, including among those who have been fully vaccinated, said Leger executive vice-president Christian Bourque.

“The actual support for vaccination is very high, the perceived efficacy is very high,” Bourque said. “Even among the vaccinated, they’re saying: ‘You know what? I’m vaccinated, I’ve done all I could. Let’s just live with it.’”

Several provinces say the Omicron-fuelled wave is threatening to overwhelm their health-care systems, with hospitalizations nearing or reaching record highs in Quebec, Ontario, and New Brunswick.

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