Ontario not considering vaccine passports: province's top doctor

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The Ontario Government doesn’t have plans to implement a COVID-19 vaccine passport system, according to the province’s top doctor.

“A [vaccination] passport would be for international borders, which would clearly be a federal responsibility. A [vaccination] passport for within Ontario has not been contemplated by this government,” said Dr. Kieran Moore, the province’s chief medical officer of health, at a press conference on Tuesday.

“The vision of this government has to have the highest immunization rate possible through non-mandatory means to protect the populations, communities and businesses. And that is going very well.”

Moore said that having 79.4% of adults vaccinated with their first dose and 57.2% percent of adults fully vaccinated was “remarkable,” noting that it had been achieved “without any mandate and without any passport.”

“I don’t think it’s necessary at this point given that Ontarians are coming forward and getting immunized at such a great rate,” he said.

At Tuesday’s press conference, Moore also said he “absolutely” expects to see a rise in COVID-19 cases comes September and urged people to get vaccinated.

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Ontario is set to enter Step 3 of its phased reopening plan on Friday, which means restrictions continue to be relaxed, and indoor activities are starting to be permitted once again.

Provincial officials in Manitoba and Quebec recently announced plans to implement their own versions of a vaccine passport system where residents can show proof they’ve been fully vaccinated.

In June, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the federal government is working on a system for citizens to prove they’ve been vaccinated against COVID-19. While a formal vaccine passport program has yet to be rolled out, as of July 5, fully vaccinated Canadians can enter the country without having to undergo a 14-day quarantine. Proof of vaccination is currently supported through the ArriveCAN app.