In a press conference on Aug. 5 Quebec Premier Francois Legault said, after a discussion with Public Health, “it looks like, unfortunately, over the next few days, few weeks, we will see an increase in cases and also an increase in hospitalization.”
Legault announced that the province “will put in place a passport” so the “people who made the effort to be vaccinated” are able to “come back to a normal life.”
“It means that some services, non-essential services, will be available only to vaccinated people,” he added.
According to a notice on the province’s website, the “COVID-19 vaccination passport will be a free official document showing that the holder is protected against COVID-19.”
“The target date for introducing the vaccine passport is September 1, 2021, once certain conditions have been met, including: everyone in Quebec age 12 and over having had the option to receive two doses of the vaccine, [and] the technology will be ready to easily recognize everyone who is fully protected, including people who have already been infected,” the notice said.
According to the notice, a vaccine passport “will not be required for access to essential services like education (primary, secondary, post-secondary), and employers will not be able to require one as a hiring criteria.”
The notice also noted that the passport “could be used to allow people who are fully protected to travel abroad and access non-essential services in the event the number of cases increases.”
“Work on the passport is continuing, but we expect it will be used for the following non-essential activities: high-risk activities with a limited number of people (gyms, team sports, bars, restaurants, etc.); [and] moderate- or low-risk activities with bigger groups of people (arts and entertainment, festivals and major events, games at sports stadiums, etc.),” the notice explained.
As of Aug. 5 at 11 a.m., there are “305 new cases” of COVID-19 in Quebec, with a total of 60 people in hospital. There have been 11,240 deaths in the province attributed to COVID-19.
If you have any information, story ideas or news tips for The Lawyer’s Daily please contact Amanda Jerome at Amanda.Jerome@lexisnexis.ca or call 416-524-2152.