Ontario announced today that proof of vaccination will be required to access most non-essential businesses in the province beginning Wednesday, September 22, 2021 - three weeks from today.
"To further protect Ontarians as the province continues to confront the Delta-driven fourth wave of the COVID-19, the government will require people to be fully vaccinated and provide proof of their vaccination status to access certain businesses and settings," according to a statement from the province.
The Ontario government is calling it an "enhanced COVID-19 vaccine certificate" system. Fully vaccinated Ontarians, to start, will need their current receipt with a valid photo identification to enter premises covered under the new system. These vaccination receipts can also be printed or downloaded as a PDF file to smartphones.
Beginning one month later, on Friday, October 22, 2021, the government says they will shift to certificates that include QR codes containing most of the same information included on the already available receipts. That shift will be accompanied by the release of a "verification app" that can be used to validate the QR codes and provide the vaccination status of an individual.
The province says "the enhanced certificate system is meant to be temporary, though how long it remains in place will depend on how the fourth wave of the pandemic unfolds in coming months."
What businesses will these certificates apply to?
Most non-essential businesses will require the vaccine certificate to visit them, with some exceptions for services they may offer. Businesses where you will need to be fully vaccinated (meaning 14 days have passed since your second dose) include, but are not limited to:
- Restaurants and bars (excluding outdoor patios, as well as delivery and takeout);
- Nightclubs (including outdoor areas of the establishment);
- Meeting and event spaces, such as banquet halls and conference/convention centres;
- Facilities used for sports and fitness activities and personal fitness training, such as gyms, fitness and recreational facilities with the exception of youth recreational sport;
- Sporting events;
- Casinos, bingo halls and gaming establishments;
- Concerts, music festivals, theatres and cinemas;
- Strip clubs, bathhouses and sex clubs;
- Racing venues (e.g., horse racing).
These mandatory requirements would not apply to outdoor settings where the risk of transmission is lower, including patios, with the exception of outdoor nightclub spaces given the risk associated with the setting.
In addition, the province says "these requirements will not apply to settings where people receive medical care, food from grocery stores, medical supplies and the like. Aligned with public health measures currently in place, indoor masking policies will continue to remain in place."
Ontario Premier Doug Ford said today, "We need to protect our hospitals - we need to avoid lockdowns at all costs. We want our kids in schools, and our businesses to stay open."
Today's announcement follows two days Premier Ford and his cabinet spent deliberating details of the plan. His public address today, discussing the finalized details, is the first time Ford has publicly taken questions from the press and media in over a month.
Ford also said it's no secret he "wasn't in favour of this," but decided it was necessary based on advice from the province's medical officer of health. "This is something that I did not want to do," he said.
These vaccine certificate rules will not apply to children who are ineligible for vaccines (those born in 2010 and later in Ontario) and provides for personal medical exemptions that "will be reflected in the impending QR codes."
Health Minister Christine Elliott added that "at no time" will people be denied medical care or food from grocery stores, regardless of vaccine status. This includes voting in the upcoming federal election.
More information and today's full announcement is available online here directly from the province.