Saskatchewan drops proof of vaccination claim

The Government of Saskatchewan required public health order proof of vaccination or evidence of a recent negative COVID-19 The test to enter most public buildings expires at 12:01 a.m. Monday.

Measures were taken last October to prevent the disease from spreading.

Claims include venues such as theatres, bingo halls, concerts, gyms, liquor stores, and cannabis retailers.

Several businesses have been exempted from this policy, including grocery stores, healthcare services, public libraries, and private gatherings.

Residents can still save proof of their vaccination records and QR codes on eHealth Saskatchewan.

The government is still encouraging people to get vaccinated and get booster shots to reduce transmission.

On Tuesday, Premier Scott Moe said the benefits of the immunization proof system no longer outweighed the costs.

“It is time to heal divisions over vaccination in our families, in our communities and in our province. It’s time for the proof of vaccination claims to end,” Moe said at a press conference.

The decision was made as the number of people hospitalized remained high. According to the town hall of the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) last Thursday, the spread may be slowing but the non-ICU hospital system is already operating at full capacity.

Screenshot of the internal COVID-19 dashboard, for SHA leadership only, showing 378 people hospitalized as of 10:30 a.m. on Sunday.

“The challenge here… is to try to understand what the rationale for all this is and what the rush is,” said infectious disease physician Dr Alex Wong, referring to the dismantling of evidence. on vaccination health orders.

He said uptake of the vaccine would likely decline without a medical order.

“Getting that third dose clearly makes a big difference,” he said, adding that three doses significantly reduce a person’s chance of catching and transmitting the virus.

Dale MacKay co-owns the Grassroots Restaurant Group, which operates two restaurants in Regina and three in Saskatoon. Restaurants only accept diners who have dine-in with proof of vaccination, beyond public health self-regulation.

“We chose not to have to do with all the negative tests just because it just adds another level of confusion,” he said. “When was the test done? All those things. “

He said he was glad the government was lifting the health order because it was an extra burden on staff.

“Everything has to come to an end at some point, so we’re excited to move on and keep doing what we’re doing, which is serving people and being hospitable.”

Steph Clovechuk, CEO of Tourism Saskatoon, said the general consensus was that businesses wanted to get back to normal.

She said she’s not sure if businesses will see more or less customers — there’s no guarantee that patrons will be vaccinated or COVID-free.

“What we can do is assure people that we will do everything we can… to reduce any possible risk of COVID-19 transmission,” she told Global News.

When asked if they thought the medical order and all other medical orders should be removed, both denied and said they were not doctors.

The remaining public health orders include the mandatory wearing of masks in some indoor buildings and the mandatory 5-day quarantine for those who test positive for COVID-19.

Those could also end on February 28, when the public health order expires. Moe said Tuesday that the government is not considering extending it.

“The people of Saskatchewan, they know what they need to find their way back to a normal environment. It involves regular testing, and we have quick tests available,” said Moe.

“It involves when you test positive for COVID-19, you isolate yourself for a period of 5 days so you don’t spread COVID to others and we expect that the people of Saskatchewan will continue to do… what they have been doing for quite some time now. “