Thursday, March 28, 2024

BC announces “Vaccine Card” which will soon be required for discretionary activities

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If you haven’t received a COVID-19 vaccine yet, you might struggle to attend events soon.

On Monday afternoon, August 23rd, Dr. Bonnie Henry was joined by Health Minister Adrian Dix and Premier John Horgan to announce COVID-19 plans moving forward.

Starting September 13th, proof of vaccination will be required in BC for people attending certain recreational settings and events.

The temporary public health order will require people to be vaccinated with one dose by September 13th and with two doses by October 24th.

The vaccine card will be required for these discretionary activities:

  • Indoor ticketed concerts, theatre, dance, symphony and sporting events
  • Indoor and outdoor dining at restaurants, pubs and bars
  • Nightclubs and casinos
  • Movie theatres
  • Gyms, pools and recreation facilities
  • Does not include youth recreational sport
  • Indoor high intensity group exercise
  • Indoor organized gatherings like weddings, parties, conferences, meetings and workshops
  • Indoor organized group recreational classes and activities like pottery and art
  • Does not include K to 12 school and before and after school programs
  • Post-secondary on-campus student housing; Students must be partially-vaccinated by September 7th.

During the press conference, Premier Horgan said an announcement will be made Tuesday, August 24th regarding COVID-19 protocols for K-12 schools and institutions.

The vaccine card will only apply to places where there is increased transmission, and will not include grocery stores or faith service venues like mosques or churches.

People visiting from outside of BC are also required to show proof of vaccination.

People from Canada will need to show an officially recognized vaccine record and a valid government ID from the same province or territory; international travellers must show a proof of vaccination they used to enter Canada and their passport.

Citing rising Delta variant cases, Premier Horgan paralleled the BC Vaccine card to Quebec’s vaccine passport, and said that his government will be communicating with the Federal government in respect to a national vaccine passport.

The BC Vaccine Card will be available online using the BC vaccine card website which will be available on September 13th.

You’ll be able to save your vaccine card to your smartphone and show it when accessing events, services and businesses. A secure paper option will also be available for September 13th.

To date, 83.0% of eligible people 12 and older in B.C. have received their first dose of COVID-19 vaccine and 74.3% received their second dose.

Health minister Adrian Dix said that about 776,000 BC residents eligible for a vaccine have yet to receive an immunization.

For more details visit the provincial government’s Vax for BC website here. 

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