By Geoff Agombar
Local Journalism Initiative
Last weekend was the busiest of 2021 for Opération Nez rouge, despite government cautions as the omicron variant drove spiking COVID-19 case counts.
Typically, the fourth weekend is the busiest for the free drive-home service. The weekend before Christmas is the most social and festive of the season. It is when Quebeckers host the most parties, especially office parties.
After last week’s announcements, some businesses chose to cancel office parties even though new restrictions were not to take effect until after the weekend. But it was a big weekend for Opération Nez rouge, nonetheless.
The phone kept ringing at centres in Magog and Sherbrooke where they dispatched 477 calls last weekend, compared to 404 the weekend before.
Understandably, a certain number of volunteers chose to step back after last Thursday’s public health announcements. So, instead of an expected increase, only 227 volunteers turned up in Sherbrooke last weekend, compared to 270 one week earlier.
“This allowed our 59 teams to be more efficient than ever,” says Opération Nez rouge Sherbrooke coordinator Stéphanie Hoarau. “This 4th weekend was the biggest weekend of the campaign!”
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