B.C. ‘vaccination card’ required for many indoor activities, but religious worship exempt

This story is developing and may be updated. Last updated Aug. 25 with comments from the Canadian and B.C. Civil Liberties Associations.

The vaccine cards the B.C. government announced today will not be required for access to indoor religious gatherings.

Premier John Horgan announced Monday that starting Sept. 13 a proof of vaccination will be required to access a broad range of indoor and social events including sporting events, movie theatres, concerts, conferences, restaurants, fitness centres and pools, and organized indoor events including weddings. It will also be required to access post-secondary on-campus student housing.

“Getting vaccinated is the way forward through this pandemic,” said Horgan, adding that Quebec has already implemented a similar strategy.

By Sept. 13, only British Columbians with at least one dose of a COVID vaccine can access these events and venues, and by Oct. 24, only those with two doses of the vaccine can gain entry.

Dr. Bonnie Henry called it a “necessary action,” not unlike showing identification before entering a bar. “This is a temporary measure that is getting us through a risky period.”

She said people who have not been vaccinated represent 90 per cent of all COVID cases in the province and 93 per cent of all hospitalizations. (According to Health Minister Adrian Dix, about eight per cent of people in hospital with COVID were vaccinated).

This represents a change in tune from Henry, who just three months ago told the press that “there is no way we will recommend inequities be increased by the use of things like vaccine passports for services with public access here in British Columbia.”

The proof of vaccination will be accessed through an app on a person’s phone. Henry said there will be accommodations for those who do not have cell phones, but did not offer details about this “secure paper option.” It’s also not clear how travellers from other provinces or countries will prove they have received the necessary injections while queued up at a local restaurant or swimming pool.

Proof of vaccination is not required to access religious services, health care, retail, or grocery settings, with Henry calling those “essential services.” (She recently said the province is “looking at all options” asked faith leaders to encourage “only immunized people” to attend services, although she hasn’t said the government has enforcement in mind. “Those are decisions that faith leaders, communities, church groups, choirs, make for themselves; they don’t need an order from me to do that.”)

It’s unclear how upcoming events hosted by religious groups such as the Archdiocese of Vancouver’s Men’s Retreat and Upper Room may be affected.

There were also no details on whether proof of vaccination will be required in workplaces.

Health Minister Adrian Dix said everyone “must” be vaccinated and offered no exemptions for anyone who has not received two doses of the shot.

That means anyone with a health condition that prevents them from getting a COVID vaccine, or anyone who for religious or other reasons has chosen to wait or not get one, will be barred from a wide variety of indoor social events and gatherings until at least Jan. 31.

Those not vaccinated represent a small number of British Columbia’s population. Dix said 83.2 per cent of all eligible people have received a first dose and 74.9 per cent have received a second dose. He said 776,000 eligible British Columbians have not taken a COVID vaccine.

Those not eligible for the vaccine are children under 12. They will not be required to be vaccinated to access these social or recreational activities.

The B.C. Civil Liberties Association is concerned with the requirement to provide proof of vaccination, telling the Vancouver Sun the plan is “arbitrary and illegal.”

“I am quite surprised they did not have the exemption built in for people who can’t get a vaccine for medical reasons,” said BCCLA lawyer Meghan McDermott, adding “in the B.C. Human Rights Code and in all legislation, you can’t discriminate against people who have medical conditions or for religious reasons.”

The Canadian Civil Liberties Association meanwhile is calling on all provincial governments planning to require vaccination passports to immediately publish the legal orders that show their authority to do so and lay out the specifics of their plans.

“Any restrictions on human rights, even in a pandemic, must be reasonable and proportionate, and grounded on valid legal authority. It is not possible to evaluate a vaccine passport regime absent the publication of the legal foundations of the program; public pronouncements at press conferences or on government websites are insufficient.”

Henry has rejected the suggestion that a negative COVID test could allow those who have otherwise not been immunized against the virus access to these venues.

“We’re not including COVID testing results in the vaccine card. It really is about immunization,” she said.

Dix said it is unlikely that B.C. will move to Step 4 of its Restart Plan on Sept. 7.

On Monday, the B.C. Centre for Disease Control dashboard reported 6,345 total cases of COVID in the province, with 129 people hospitalized and 59 in critical care.

The COVID 19 provincial state of emergency ended June 30.