B.C. industry groups hoping for news of a vaccine passport
Some B.C. industry groups are hoping details of a vaccine passport for businesses will be announced this week.
On Thursday, several organizations sent a letter to Premier John Horgan asking government officials to “introduce a ‘Proof of Vaccination’ program for situations that attract large groups with prolonged exposure where physical distancing is difficult.”
The letter was signed by 10 industry groups: The Greater Vancouver Board of Trade, British Columbia Craft Brewers Guild, Business Council of BC, BC Chamber of Commerce, The Alliance of Beverage Licensees, Surrey Board of Trade, BC Hotel Association, the Tourism Industry Association of BC, BC Restaurants and Foodservices Association, and the Retail Council of Canada.
The letter says the program needs to be mandated by government and health officials “so that the onus of enforcing the program does not fall on businesses.”
Ian Tostenson, president and CEO of the BC Restaurants and Foodservices Association is expecting an announcement Monday.
“It looks like we will be hearing the details of a vaccination passport program for what looks likely to be deemed non-essential services, so restaurants, movies, sports events, concerts,” Tostenson said.
Quebec is, so far, the only province to implement a passport program. It doesn’t start until Sept. 1, but some businesses started testing a QR code system over the weekend.
Tostenson said his industry is excited for the possibility of a passport system in B.C., but will be watching for details on how a program would be rolled out.
“How do we get the information and in what form?” he said. “And then, how do we train our staff to deal with those situations that could be people not wanting to accept this, or ‘I left it at home,’ or a whole script of things? You have to be careful with that.”
Dr. Brian Conway, medical director of the Vancouver Infectious Disease Centre, says from a public health perspective, people should have a document to confirm vaccine status.
“In the era of COVID, it is important for us all to realise that vaccinated individuals will be allowed to do things that unvaccinated individuals will not,” Dr. Conway said.
According to the most recent data from the B.C. Centre for Disease Control, unvaccinated and partially vaccinated people make up almost all COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths in B.C.
In a data summary published on the BCCDC website, unvaccinated people account for 64 per cent of cases, 80 per cent of hospitalizations and 72 per cent of deaths.
People with one dose of vaccine account for 30 per cent of cases, 12 per cent of hospitalizations and 22 per cent of deaths.
Dr. Conway hopes the incentive of a vaccine passport will boost immunization rates even further.
“It may be that as unvaccinated individuals realise some of the limitations that they may encounter in real life in the era of COVID, that group that just simply put it off will choose to be vaccinated,” he said.
Premier John Horgan will join Health Minister Adrian Dix and provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry for an announcement on Monday at 1 p.m.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
It's no secret that spring can be a tumultuous time for Canadian weather, and as an unseasonably mild El Nino winter gives way to summer, there's bound to be a few swings in temperature that seem out of the ordinary. From Ontario to the Atlantic, though, this week is about to feel a little erratic.
What do weight loss drugs mean for a diet industry built on eating less and exercising more?
Recent injected drugs like Wegovy and its predecessor, the diabetes medication Ozempic, are reshaping the health and fitness industries.
He replaced Mickey Mantle. Now baseball's oldest living major leaguer is turning 100
The oldest living former major leaguer, Art Schallock turns 100 on Thursday and is being celebrated in the Bay Area and beyond as the milestone approaches.
What a urologist wants you to know about male infertility
When opposite sex couples are trying and failing to get pregnant, the attention often focuses on the woman. That’s not always the case.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Made-in-Newfoundland vodka claims top prize at worldwide competition
A Newfoundland-made vodka has been named one of the world’s best by judges at this year’s World Vodka Awards.