Regina yoga studio one of the first small businesses to require proof of COVID-19 vaccination
As Saskatchewan prepares to lift COVID-19 public health measures on July 11, a Regina yoga studio says it will require proof of vaccination before students return to in-person classes next week.
Bodhi Tree Yoga has been providing online yoga classes since the beginning of the pandemic. The studio will welcome students back to in-person classes starting July 12, but first, clients will have to show they have both doses of the COVID-19 vaccine.
Colin Hall, co-owner of the Cathedral-area yoga studio, said the decision to require proof of vaccination was made on the same basis as moving classes online.
“(Going online) was not easy, it has not been enjoyable for any of us or any of our teachers, but we did that because we thought it was the best thing for our community,” said Hall.
Hall said people have worried about the health and safety of themselves and others throughout the pandemic, so he wanted to create a space where people can get together and relax.
“We wanted people to continue to have access to yoga, but we wanted to be able to provide that in a way that was as safe and as comfortable for people as possible,” he said.
Bodhi Tree Yoga posted its decision to Facebook Sunday morning. The post has more than 600 comments as of Monday evening. Though some of the comments have been negative, Hall said they are outnumbered by positive and supportive feedback.
ASKING FOR PROOF OF VACCINATION
Proof of vaccination requirements and vaccine passports have become hot-button topics as governments and businesses attempt to navigate a post-COVID-19 world.
Premier Scott Moe has said the province will not require proof of vaccination to attend events when restrictions are lifted, adding it could be “a potential violation of health information privacy.”
Hall said it’s his understanding Bodhi Tree Yoga is allowed to ask students to prove they have both shots as long as they don’t share the information with anyone.
Dwight Newman, a constitutional law professor at the University of Saskatchewan, said though businesses can implement their own measures when it comes to wearing masks, asking for a vaccination record could present a privacy issue.
“You’re talking about asking for people’s personal health information and they could argue that interferes in some way with their privacy,” said Newman.
Newman added if people aren’t able to get the COVID-19 vaccine due to a medical issue, they could argue a proof of vaccination policy that prevents them from accessing a business is discriminatory.
Hall said if people aren’t fully vaccinated, if they can’t get a vaccine or don’t feel comfortable going to in-person classes just yet, they can still participate in online classes at Bodhi Tree Yoga, which they will continue to offer.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'I just can't believe that it took so long': Body found in wreckage 3 months after deadly fire
A man accused of arson in a January Old Strathcona apartment fire is expected to be charged with manslaughter after a body was discovered in the burned building late last month.
No proof man lied to brother about number of kittens born in litter, B.C. tribunal rules
A man was denied a $5,000 payout from his brother after a B.C. tribunal dismissed his claim disputing how many kittens were born in a litter.
Quebec police hand out hundreds of tickets to Hells Angels and other bikers before 'first run' meeting
Quebec provincial police handed out hundreds of fines to Hells Angels members and other supporting motorcycle clubs who met for their 'first run' in a small town near Sherbrooke, Que.
Feds hope to table foreign interference legislation next week: LeBlanc
Democratic Institutions Minister Dominic LeBlanc says he plans to table legislation this week to help the federal government address foreign interference, but he wouldn't say whether the proposal will include a foreign agent registry.
Auston Matthews skates ahead of Game 7, status unclear with season on the line
Centre Auston Matthews of the Toronto Maple Leafs hasn't been ruled out of tonight's Game 7 against the Boston Bruins.
Snakes almost on a plane: U.S. TSA discovers a bag with small snakes in passenger's pants
According to an X post by the Transportation Security Administration, officers at the Miami International Airport found the small bag of snakes hidden in a passenger's trousers on April 26 at a checkpoint.
A Chinese driver is praised for helping reduce casualties in a highway collapse that killed 48
A Chinese truck driver was praised in local media Saturday for parking his vehicle across a highway and preventing more cars from tumbling down a slope after a section of the road in the country's mountainous south collapsed and killed at least 48 people.
Russia puts Ukrainian President Zelenskyy on its wanted list
Russia has put Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on its wanted list, Russian state media reported Saturday, citing the interior ministry’s database.
Grandparents killed in wrong-way crash on Hwy. 401 identified
A 60-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman killed in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 earlier this week have been identified by the Consulate General of India in Toronto.