Ontario's Vaccine Certificates Are Officially Coming To An End & Here's When

You might not need to have your vaccine certificate on hand for too much longer in Ontario.

Premier Doug Ford announced in a press conference on Monday that Ontario is speeding up its reopening timeline and lifting more public health measures as of February 17, and if all goes well, vaccine certificates will be a thing of the past by March 1.

Vaccine certificates will no longer be required in any settings "if public health and health system indicators continue to improve," according to a government handout.

"Given how well Ontario has done in the Omicron wave we are able to fast track our reopening plan," said Ford. "This is great news and a sign of just how far we've come together in our fight against the virus. While we aren't out of the woods just yet we are moving in the right direction."

If Ontario's COVID-19 situation continues to improve as of March 1, all capacity limits will also be removed in indoor settings along with proof of vaccination.

However, you may not want to delete your proof of vaccination altogether. Businesses and other establishments will be able to continue to implement proof of vaccination at their own discretion.

You'll also want to hang on to your mask, because they don't seem to be going anywhere anytime soon. According to Ford's updated plan, they will still be required as of March 1.

Also as of March 1, COVID-19 will be managed by public health units, and they will be able to "deploy local and regional responses based on local context and conditions."

Health Canada has a robust website with all the latest information on COVID-19 vaccines and can answer any questions you may have.

This article's cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.