Businesses readying for end of B.C. Vaccine Card

As of Friday, people who haven’t received two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine can once again attend concerts, work out at gyms, and dine indoors at restaurants.

Provincial health officials announced the end of the B.C. Vaccine Card program Tuesday, saying it is no longer necessary, but had been an effective way of encouraging immunization.

At Trevor Linden Fitness, machines previously collecting dust due to COVID-19 are getting a workout. Gyms were among the businesses closed during the Omicron wave of the pandemic, but reopened in mid-February.

Operations director Carl Ulmer says the industry suffered when it was shut down in January, which he said is "our comeback to fitness season." 

"We definitely saw a significant increase in our February compared to past February," he added. 

While gyms are among the businesses that will be able to welcome back unvaccinated guests – not all will. 

"We have some members and gym owners and operators within the Fitness Industry Council Canada that may assess that they have an older clientele that are more at risk, and they'll have higher protocols in place to accommodate that," said Ulmer, who is also on the FICC board of directors. 

The same goes for restaurants. Like gyms, they'll continue to have safety precautions in place, said Ian Tostenson with the B.C. Restaurant and Food Services Association.

"There'll be enhanced cleaning, sanitizers. A lot of restaurants probably won't go back to menus. It will be QR codes, much more emphasis on patios," he explained.

With more than 90 per cent of eligible British Columbians vaccinated against COVID-19, Tostenson said each person would have to assess their own risk, adding it was Dr. Bonnie Henry and not the association that pushed for the change.

"The chances of you being in a restaurant with an unvaccinated person are pretty small in British Columbia," added Tostenson.

When the Vaccine Card program comes to an end, those who haven’t been immunized can also again attend indoor concerts, weddings, fitness classes and sporting events.

Looking back on the past two years of uncertainty and restrictions, Ulmer says his main feeling is one of gratitude for all the staff who were on the front lines.

"Not only in gyms but in restaurants and industries that have tried to remain open through this with guidelines that really at times did cause friction. Our province, those staff and those workers have done a heck of a job," he told CTV News.