Sask. will not require proof of vaccination at venues, events
Saskatchewan will not require proof of COVID-19 vaccination for access to events once restrictions are lifted.
“There’s also been some question about whether certain venues and events can ask for proof of vaccination before allowing people to attend those events. That will not be a provincial requirement in Saskatchewan,” Premier Scott Moe said during the COVID-19 press conference on Tuesday. “It would be a potential violation of health information privacy if we were to do this – if we were to ask anyone for proof of vaccination to attend an event.”
Moe said the government is still encouraging everyone to get their vaccine.
He said other levels of government could potentially require proof of vaccinations under certain circumstances.
“There is an area where there may be some requirements to show a vaccination. They won’t be in the provincial scope or sphere of influence, but maybe the national or international sphere of influence,” Moe said, referencing the need to provide Malaria and Typhoid vaccination proof. “It’s entirely possible that you’re going to require to have proof of COVID-19 vaccination in much the same way you do now to attain a visa to visit some of these countries.”
He said there could also be some requirements to provide proof of vaccination to avoid a two week isolation period when returning to Canada from other countries. Moe said the province is working with the federal government on how that information would be provided.
Scott Livingstone, the CEO of the Saskatchewan Health Authority, said asking for vaccination updates would go against privacy laws.
“Even your health card number is personal health information. Banks are not allowed to ask for your health card number and nobody else is for a form of I.D. and so is vaccination status,” Livingstone said. “It’s not a requirement for an individual to one, provide it, or for other individuals to even ask for it if it’s not related to the provision of health services.”
Meanwhile in Manitoba, the provincial government is rolling out immunization cards for those who have received both of their vaccines.
Moe said if the province keeps up its current vaccination pace, about 60 per cent of residents could be fully vaccinated by the time restrictions lift on July 11, and more than 70 per cent would be fully vaccinated by the end of July.
“It will also be up to businesses and other employers to decide whether they want to keep any of their COVID-19 practices that they currently have in place past July 11,” Moe said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
From outer space? Sask. farmers baffled after discovering strange wreckage in field
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.
NEW Iconic Canadian song turns 50
Andy Kim's 'Rock Me Gently' is marking a major milestone, as it celebrates its 50th anniversary.
Oprah Winfrey: I set an unrealistic standard for dieting
Oprah Winfrey said on Thursday evening that she has long played a role in promoting unhealthy and unrealistic diets.
Prince Harry, Meghan arrive in Nigeria to champion the Invictus Games and meet with wounded soldiers
Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, arrived in Nigeria on Friday to champion the Invictus Games, which he founded to aid the rehabilitation of wounded and sick servicemembers and veterans, among them Nigerian soldiers fighting a 14-year war against Islamic extremists.
Countries struggle to draft 'pandemic treaty' to avoid mistakes made during COVID
After the coronavirus pandemic triggered once-unthinkable lockdowns, upended economies and killed millions, leaders at the World Health Organization and worldwide vowed to do better in the future. Years later, countries are still struggling to come up with an agreed-upon plan for how the world might respond to the next global outbreak.
Toronto police called to Drake's Bridle Path mansion for another alleged intruder on Thursday
Toronto police say a man who allegedly attempted to access Drake’s Bridle Path property was taken to hospital on Thursday after an altercation with security guards.
Ontario family receives massive hospital bill as part of LTC law, refuses to pay
A southwestern Ontario woman has received an $8,400 bill from a hospital in Windsor, Ont., after she refused to put her mother in a nursing home she hated -- and she says she has no intention of paying it.
Flat tire on a highway? Here's why you shouldn't try to fix it
If you're cruising down a highway and realize you have a flat tire, you may want to think twice before stopping to fix it on the side of the road.
Storm-battered U.S. South is again under threat. A boy swept into a drain fights for his life
Dangerous storms crashed over parts of the U.S. South on Thursday even as the region cleaned up from earlier severe weather that spawned tornadoes, killed at least three people, and gravely injured a boy who was swept into a storm drain as he played in a flooded street.