Alberta's Vaccine Passports Are Coming This Month For Restaurants, Weddings, Retail & More
Businesses can either require proof of vaccination or face stronger restrictions under the new state of emergency.
It was officially announced on September 15 that Alberta is getting vaccine passports later this month along with stricter public health measures and a province-wide state of emergency.
New temporary health measures will be implemented across the province as of September 16, including restrictions for workplaces, indoor private gatherings, places of worship and schools. Mandatory masking and physical distancing in all indoor public spaces will be required then as well.
Measures for restaurants, indoor gatherings, weddings, funerals, retail, entertainment venues and indoor fitness facilities will begin on September 20.
As of September 20, businesses and event organizers who choose to implement a proof of vaccination program will be able to get an exemption to the new restrictions being put into place. If they choose not to require patrons to show proof of vaccination, they will have to comply with the new measures.
"These steps are not easy for anyone, but with COVID-19 hospitalizations continuing to rise, particularly amongst the unvaccinated, we have no choice but to implement the proof of vaccination measures and temporary restrictions," Jason Kenney said during the announcement.
Establishments that take part in the Restrictions Exemption Program can operate as usual as long as they're only serving people who have proof of double vaccination, have documentation of a medical exemption, or have proof of a negative PCR or rapid test from within 72 hours that is not from Alberta Health Services or Alberta Precision Laboratories.
Restaurants, weddings, funerals, retail, entertainment and recreation facilities (which includes any indoor venues, libraries, conferences, rental spaces, concerts, nightclubs, casinos and similar spaces) and adult sport, fitness, performance, and recreation places are eligible for the exemption.
The provincial government said Albertans can access copies of their COVID-19 vaccination records through MyHealth Records but, for the time being, people should avoid logging in to download their records. The printable card that was supposed to be available on September 16 will now be accessible on September 19.
Health Canada has a robust website with all the latest information on COVID-19 vaccines and can answer any questions you may have.