Businesses can 'absolutely' keep checking vaccine passports after B.C. lifts order, officials say
The B.C. government will support businesses that keep requiring customers to mask up and provide proof of vaccination even after those COVID-19 restrictions are lifted, health officials said Tuesday.
Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said once the indoor mask mandate and B.C. Vaccine Card system are no longer government-ordered, some business owners may decide to adopt them as policies for the protection of employees who are vulnerable to severe illness from COVID-19.
"I absolutely will support businesses continuing to protect their workers," Henry added.
"There are not tools that we abandoned. They are things that helped us, that worked."
The issue was raised as the government prepares to potentially relax a number of COVID-19 measures before spring break. Officials haven't hinted at whether mask rules or vaccine requirements could be eased at that time.
The public health order implementing the B.C. Vaccine Card system isn't scheduled to expire until the end of June.
Henry noted that for many seniors and people who are immune-compromised, being fully vaccinated and boosted doesn't offer as much protection as it does the general population.
And while COVID-19 transmission and hospitalization numbers in the province have been trending downward for weeks, that could change as vaccine immunity wanes or new variants emerge.
Should the risks begin to increase again after B.C.'s restrictions are lifted, the government will consider re-implementing orders as needed, Henry said.
"There's still many things we don't know about this virus and how it's going to change, so we need to keep those in our back pocket for those times that we might need to use them again," Henry said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Ont. and Que. scramble to recover from thunderstorm that left at least 8 dead
Clean-up efforts are underway after a massive thunderstorm on Saturday left a trail of destruction in Southern Ontario and Quebec.

What is a 'derecho'? Climatologist explains Saturday's powerful storm
The storm that moved across Ontario and Quebec Saturday is known as a “derecho”, a powerful kind of windstorm that is long lasting and far-reaching.
How concerned should we be about monkeypox?
Global health officials have sounded the alarm over rising cases in Europe and elsewhere of monkeypox, a type of viral infection more common to west and central Africa. Here's what we know about the current outbreak and the relative risk.
Officials expect 3 to 4 days to restore power across Ottawa following storm
Hydro Ottawa says it will take several days to restore power and clean up after a severe storm damaged hydro poles and wires on Saturday.
43 CP Rail cars carrying potash derail east of Fort Macleod, Alta.
Clean up is underway after 43 CP Rail train cars carrying potash left the track Sunday morning east of Fort Macleod, Alta.
78,000 pounds of infant formula arrives in U.S.
A military plane carrying enough specialty infant formula for more than half a million baby bottles arrived Sunday in Indianapolis, the first of several flights expected from Europe aimed at relieving a shortage that has sent parents scrambling to find enough to feed their children.
Meet the guy who wants to help save the planet with thousands of buoys, seaweed and giant antacids
Seaweed is a ravenous consumer of carbon dioxide, and scientists have been eyeing it as one potential solution to the climate crisis.
Huawei 5G ban delay wasn't tied to efforts to free Spavor and Kovrig, Mendicino says
Canada's Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino insists the once unknown fate of Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig was not why the government delayed its decision to ban Huawei technologies from Canada's 5G network.
Indigenous Manitoba man risks his life to bring humanitarian aid to Ukraine
Kim Sigurdson, a Métis philanthropist from Manitoba, travelled to Ukraine in early May on his own dime to bring support to displaced Ukrainians.