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.