Come Sept. 22, those living in Ontario will need to show proof of being fully vaccinated to access some indoor settings
After months of pressure from scientists and medical officers, the Ontario government will officially require vaccine certificates for several indoor public settings as of Sept. 22.
According to Global News, Ontario residents will need to provide proof of full vaccination (i.e. their paper vaccine receipts) and photo ID to access restaurants and bars, nightclubs, meeting and event spaces, gyms, concerts and music festivals, cinemas and theatres, sporting events and racing venues, casinos and gaming establishments, strip clubs, and bathhouses.
“The venues we have chosen are responsive to the risk we have found in Ontario,” said Premier Doug Ford. “If the risk increases in other venues, we can add and implement additional measures to protect Ontarians.”
Vaccine certificates will likely play an important role in reducing the effects of the fourth wave, as new modelling from Ontario’s COVID-19 science advisory table released on Sept. 1 suggests a “substantial” spike in cases and overwhelmed ICUs come fall.
To mitigate the impact of the fourth wave and avoid another provincial lockdown, more than 85 per cent of the eligible population in Ontario must be vaccinated.
The advisory table states that those who remain unvaccinated will have a “6-fold higher risk of symptomatic COVID-19 disease, a 30-fold higher risk of being in the hospital and a 48-fold higher risk of being in the ICU compared to the fully vaccinated.”
On Oct. 22 the provincial government plans to update the certificate system to a “QR code-based application for residents and business operators to use in order for scans,” according to Global News. Documents containing a unique QR code will be issued and will display the person’s name and vaccination status.
Children under the age of 12 will not be required to provide documentation as they are not eligible for the vaccine.
In addition to implementing vaccination certificates, the new modelling recommends reducing indoor density and large gatherings, and continuing indoor mask policies as well as social distancing.
As of Sept. 2, Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health reports that the City of Guelph has reached a 90.1 per cent first dose vaccination rate and an 84.3 per cent second dose rate among its eligible population. As residents of one of the most vaccinated cities in Ontario, local health officials state that the people of Guelph have dedication and a “drive to protect every person.”
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