Starting next month, British Columbia will require people to be vaccinated against COVID-19 if they want to attend some social and recreational events.
People will need to have at least one dose of a vaccine as of September 13, but by October 24, they will have to be fully vaccinated for at least seven days if want to go to indoor ticketed sporting events or shows, to eat at restaurants, to use fitness centres or casinos or to be a part of indoor organized events like conferences and weddings.
“The BC Vaccine card is following in the footsteps of other jurisdictions. I’ve spoken to Premier Legault in Quebec who was an early adherent to a passport, an immunization card in that province,” BC Premier John Horgan said, while calling on eligible unvaccinated British Columbians to roll up their sleeves and get vaccinated.
“We have learned a great deal from their implementation and of course, other jurisdictions will learn from the work we do here in British Columbia.”
In July, Quebec announced plans for a vaccine certificate starting Sept. 1 that would cover non-essential services excluding retail.
“In our consultations with the business community, those who provide services to people, all of them want to make sure that they can continue to provide quality services for British Columbians,” Horgan added. “They want to do it in a way that gives their patrons confidence that they are taking every step possible and not be fearful that they make come into contact with someone who may be able to transmit COVID-19.”
“Ticketed sporting events, indoor concerts, movies – wherever there is [discretionary] activity that you can go to with the confidence that those around you have also taken steps to protect themselves and their families – the B.C. vaccine card will help us get there.”
These vaccine cards will not be required at grocery stores and other retail settings, where there hasn’t been a high level of transmission. They also won’t be necessary to enter a place of worship, Provincial Health Officer, Dr. Bonnie Henry, confirmed.
“This is the first time anything like this has ever been tried. There may be bumps along the way but we’re very confident,” Horgan added, noting efforts are underway to ensure these cards can’t be forged or hacked.
“Minister Dix and his team have been working with Citizen Services throughout the summer to make sure that technologies can be ready to go. Dr. Henry and her team have been making sure that we’re doing this in a way that keeps everybody fully apprised of the state of play as we go forward.”
These rules will also apply to people from outside of B.C. who are spending time in the province.
Canadian visitors will have to show a provincially or territorially recognized vaccine record, along with a valid piece of government ID from the same province or territory while international visitors will have to provide proof of the vaccination they used to enter Canada along with the passport.
“The technologies do lend themselves to that integration. The NavCan app to get into the country is the starting point for people that are not Canadian nationals, and those within Canada who are travelling will be expected to follow the same procedures if they want to participate in these non-discretionary activities,” Horgan said.
The government also says individual businesses or event organizers may implement these requirements earlier as part of their ongoing safety plans. Those that do so over and above what is required by the government will be responsible for doing their own due diligence.
Monday’s news of a vaccine passport in B.C. came hours before the province announced 1,711 new COVID-19 cases over this past weekend, 768 of which were in Interior Health.
About 93 per cent of hospitalizations are in people who are not vaccinated, according to Dr. Henry, while 90 per cent of new cases are in those who are not fully vaccinated.
“We have a rate of about 28 per 100,000 cases in people who are unvaccinated compared to 2 per 100,000 in people who are fully vaccinated. What that tells us is that your risk is ten times higher if you’ve not been protected through vaccines,” Henry said. “These numbers are a stark reminder of why vaccines are important.”
“When you are vaccinated, it means that you are less likely to get infected. If you are infected, you shed virus for a shorter period of time, you are less likely to transmit to other people, and you are less much likely to have a severe illness that leads to hospitalization. We’ve seen that that protection is remaining strong.”
Henry says there will be an exemption for children under the age of 12 but not for people who are unable to receive the vaccine for health or religious reasons.
“If there are those rare people that have a medical reason for why they can’t be immunized – these are discretionary events that we are talking about. So, they will not be able to attend those events through this period of time of high risk,” Henry noted.
A secure weblink will be operational before Sept. 13, where people will be able to confidentially access their proof of vaccination. People will be able to save a copy to their phones to use. People who cannot access their records online will be given a secure alternative option, officials said.
“There may be a small group of people who at protesting against this, as they have for other measures along the way. As it is a provincial health officer order, we do have the ability to support businesses with bylaw officers, environmental health officers,” Henry said.
“We will be continuing to work with them in supporting businesses in doing this in a way that is effective.”
During Monday’s briefing, officials also confirmed that given the increasing case count and hospitalization numbers, the province will not move to Step 4 of its COVID-19 restart plan on Sept. 7, as initially intended.
Cases have especially surged in the Kelowna area, which has led to expanded restrictions like mandatory masks and reduced limits on indoor and outdoor events — across Interior Health.
Henry noted there will be some discretion in areas of high transmission to require proof of vaccination before Sept. 13, with more details to come in the weeks ahead.
“Getting vaccinated keeps everyone in B.C. safe and stops the spread of COVID-19,” Health Minister Adrian Dix added. “Our B.C. vaccine card is an essential interim action until we transition to a federally compliant proof of vaccine.”
The measures are set to be in place until January 31, 2022, though it could be extended further, if needed.
For more on the announcement from the government, including a full list of businesses and events that will require proof of vaccination, go here.
