Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Kieran Moore, canceled his regular COVID-19 update on Tuesday to spend more time fine-tuning the vaccine passport.
According to Ministry of Health spokesperson Alexandra Hilkene, Dr. Moore asked to call off his Tuesday update since there are still many things to do regarding the vaccine passport.
Besides the fact that this is the first time the province of Ontario is working on such a document or certificate, the sheer amount of details required to ensure its proper and lawful implementation require meticulous checking and review.
It is noteworthy that a vaccine passport was not required in Ontario in the previous weeks, according to the joint statements of Health Minister Christine Elliott and Premier Doug Ford.
They described it as “unnecessary” and even suggested that residents could either present the anticipated federal vaccine passport or the PDF receipt of immunization if businesses should require proof of vaccination.
But it seems that the province of Ontario had a change of heart this week when the Greater Toronto Hamilton Area Mayors and Chairs committee announced that a provincial government-initiated vaccine passport system is already in the works.
The provinces of British Columbia and Quebec have already put a mandatory vaccine passport system in place to get admittance in non-essential activities like attending sports events, visiting nightclubs and casinos, accessing restaurants, and participating in concerts.
So far, no additional details were provided regarding Ontario’s vaccine passport.
