Residents of British Columbia will need to carry two proofs of COVID-19 vaccination cards, one to attend non-essential activities and another to travel within Canada and abroad.
Premier John Horgan said Thursday that British Columbia’s current vaccination card was not compatible with the new national vaccination passport for domestic and international travel.
He said the province was one of the first to introduce a proof of vaccine document, knowing full well it would not be used for international travel because British Columbia’s document does not include enough detail. He added that he did not regret pulling out the BC passport quickly.
The British Columbia Ministry of Health said in a statement that the province will be issuing the Government of Canada’s new vaccination card and that it will be available starting October 30.
The ministry said the federal government has assured it that residents of British Columbia can continue to use the provincial immunization card for travel while the new federal card is rolled out.
Other provinces have adapted their own vaccine passports to have the same look, feel, and security measures based on an international standard for smart health cards, which contain features to help prevent disease. falsification.
Several have started to roll out new evidence of vaccination, including Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Quebec, Ontario, Nunavut, Saskatchewan, Northwest Territories and the Yukon.
It is distinguished by a Canada word mark in the upper corner.
The passport will be digital and will include a QR code including the history of vaccinations. Hard copies will also be accepted.
The only health information contained in the proof of vaccination will be the name of the holder and information about the vaccine, such as type of vaccine, batch number, date of vaccination and number of doses.
Earlier today, Horgan said the federal government was requiring more information to be provided to authorize international travel than shown on the British Columbia vaccination card. “I thought the federal government would manage international travel in its own way and that we would manage our domestic interactions until it was clarified what was needed,” he said at a press conference.
Horgan initially said residents of British Columbia could apply for a federal transit pass. But the federal government website asks residents of British Columbia to obtain proof of provincial vaccination, on the understanding that it may not guarantee entry into other countries.
The Department of Health said about 3.6 million people have downloaded the BC vaccination card and it is working well.
“We will continue to monitor the use of two cards to ensure they work best for the people of British Columbia,” he said in the statement.
Horgan also expressed his concerns Thursday about the federal government’s COVID-19 testing rules on travel to and from the United States, saying they made no sense to him.
He said Ottawa’s test requirement defeats the goal of staying safe, as he could take a test in Vancouver, travel to the United States and return within 72 hours using the same. test.
He said people can take advantage of the system, and he wondered if people could fake symptoms to get a free test in order to use the results for travel.
Horgan said his concerns about testing were part of the reason for his decision not to accept an invitation to surrender from Washington State Governor Jay Inslee.
The provincial government announced Thursday that it was extending several COVID-19-related orders intended to limit the spread of the infection as the fourth wave hits the province.
The COVID-19 measures law was due to be repealed on December 31, but the government said in a statement that changes would be made to the bill in the legislature.
The law allows key legal documents to be viewed remotely and allows courts to say which proceedings can be conducted remotely.
He supports the provincial health officer’s orders to place conditions on the number of long-term care facilities where staff are allowed to work in an effort to stop the transmission of COVID-19.
The law grants liability protection to individuals or businesses providing essential services by operating a business that benefits the community, provided they comply with public health ordinances.
The government says it is issuing notice of the changes to allow organizations or businesses that use the legislation to plan beyond the original deadline.
© Colonist of the time of copyright
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