British Columbians will need proof of vaccinations for select social and recreational events

Individual business or event organizers may implement these requirements as part of a safety plan, and those that choose to adopt their own vaccination policies beyond this order will be responsible for doing their own due diligence.

The vaccine card only applies to discretionary and social settings, and not essential services like health care facilities, grocery stores or retail stores.

Horgan said the target date for implementing these policies is September 13, at which point it will require proof of first dose. By October 24, the requirements will be for people to have both doses in order to access these activities and services.

“There is no reason why those who are anxious to participate in the social and economic life of our community can’t take that next step and get that safe, effective vaccine,” said Horgan.

“They’re free. We have clinics around the province and we’ll have more opportunities through pop-up clinics and through walk-in clinics to make sure that an increasing number of people who have not yet taken advantage of this opportunity will do so.”

Horgan added the measure will allow both the general population and business owners to feel confident that people will not be put at risk of catching or transmitting the virus while patronizing businesses and contributing to the economy.

The implementation of the card program will involve a secure website that provides select information related to an individuals vaccination status, including name, date of birth and personal health number, and immunization status. The card will not include any other health information, including COVID test results. This vaccination card, which can be saved on a smartphone, will be required at the afore mentioned settings alongside valid government ID.

Minister of Health, Adrian Dix, said details on accessing this document will be widely communicated in the days leading up to September 13, and there will be an option for obtaining a physical copy for people who can’t access their records online.

Horgan added that work with the privacy commissioner is being done to make sure the technology and the web portal to access the records are safe and secure.

“Often times there are reports of governments, not just ours but others, being hacked by malicious individuals or groups, and that’s a constant concern within government regarding technology,” said Horgan.

“So we have pretty sophisticated personnel that manage these issues, not just within health but right across government, and we are pretty confident that every tool that we can used to protect this information and make sure it can’t be duplicated or forged will be put in place.”

Those visiting from out-of-province will be required to show a form of vaccination proof along with their ID, and people from outside of Canada will be required to show the proof of vaccination they used to enter the country and their passport.

The government does expect to see a small number of individuals and businesses attempt to skirt these regulations, but as it is a Provincial Health Order, the government has the ability to use bylaw officers, environmental health officers and others to enforce the rules.

“There will be those that challenge the application, and we’ll take that on as it comes,” said Horgan.

“I don’t want to prejudge or predict who or what or how that will happen, but government is always prepared for these types of adventures into the courts, we do it all the time and the attorney general is well versed at managing these issues when they come forward and I’m confident this is no different than those.”

The vaccine card program is expected to be a temporary measure that lasts through to January 2022, though it will be reassessed on a monthly basis to determine if it can be withdrawn early.

At this time, there is no plan to grant exemptions because the vaccine card measure will be temporary.

The decision to move forward with the vaccine card program comes as the spread of COVID-19 remains mainly concentrated in the un-vaccinated population.

Dr. Bonnie Henry, B.C.’s provincial health officer, said the COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective, and urges people to get their jabs.

“Over the past month, up until the end of last week, people who have not been fully vaccinated account for nearly 90 per cent of all of our cases, and over 93 per cent of the hospitalizations that we’ve had this past month,” said Henry.

“To put it in context, we have a rate of about 28 per 100,000 cases in people who are unvaccinated, compared to two per 100,000 in people who are fully vaccinated. What that tells us is that your risk is 10 times higher if you have not been protected through vaccines, and what we are seeing is that leads to transmission in clusters of groups of people when they come together, particularly now as we are seeing transmission with the highly transmissible Delta variant across the province.”

Henry added that vaccines not only protect the individual, but also those who cannot have a shot such as kids under the age of 12 or the immunocompromised.

To date, the first-dose vaccination rate for British Columbians aged 12 and over is 83.2 per cent, while 74.9 per cent of eligible residents have received both jabs.

by Liam Verster

British Columbians will need proof of vaccinations for select social and recreational events

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