Beginning Sept. 13, many restaurants will be among several places to request proof of vaccination. It's the latest step from the BC Government to curb COVID-19 hotspots. (FreePik/NanaimoNewsNOW illustration)

By Alex Rawnsley

VAX STATUS

Vax passport officially launches as Nanaimo businesses navigate newest challenge

Sep 13, 2021 | 5:30 AM

NANAIMO — Monday marks the first day of B.C.’s vaccine passport program.

Announced in late August, the passport is a QR-code based system to show a proof of vaccination against COVID-19 allowing access to non-essential indoor settings where people gather for extended periods of time, deemed to be a higher risk of COVID-19 transmission.

Restrictions will affect completely unvaccinated individuals as of Monday, Sept. 13 and partially vaccinated people come Oct. 24. The list of places now required to ask for the passport lean heavily toward the hospitality industry.

“Most people are instructing their staff not to get into it with somebody,” Dan Brady, executive director of the Nanaimo Hospitality Association told NanaimoNewsNOW. “They’re there to try and do their job and ask for the passport but not to get into those arguments. [Businesses] have the right to refuse service.”

Places where the vaccine passport is required: restaurants for dine-in service (indoors and patio); pubs, bars and nightclubs; indoor ticketed sporting events; nightclubs, casinos and movie theatres; gyms; indoor concerts and theatre events

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Places where vaccine passport is NOT required: essential services such as grocery stores and pharmacies; fast food restaurants, coffee shops or take out establishments; public transit; salons and hairdressers; hotels; banks; retail stores and shopping centres; libraries.

Brady said many hospitality industry businesses in and around Nanaimo are viewing the restrictions as one more thing for them to juggle amid an increasingly challenging landscape.

However, the passport is also seen as a step which could help avoid lockdowns similar to spring 2020.

“There’s help wanted signs up in every corner of town and so in order to implement this vaccine passport, it sounds like everyone’s going to have to have a host or hostess at the front door checking for those. That’s just another extra cost and burden on ownership.”

Brady speculated some restaurants may choose to revert back to a take-out only service as a way to skirt past any potential conflict arising from a vocal minority opposed to the COVID-19 vaccine and the passports.

“Remember that young person at the front who’s greeting you, they’re just doing their job and it’s not them, they’re just implementing these rules…don’t take it out on them please.”

Kim Smythe, president of the Nanaimo Chamber of Commerce, said the passport will be especially challenging for smaller operations to implement.

“It’s going to be a challenge for some to enforce,” Smythe said. “That’s the biggest problem we have with it, by downloading this onto small businesses, restaurants, the hospitality industry; they are the ones who are most challenged right now with staff shortages.”

Several provincial hospitality organizations have either asked or are having ongoing conversations with the provincial government about additional supports for businesses in enacting the screening process at the door.

Smythe believes some people previously not comfortable with in-restaurant dining will feel enticed to do so under the passport program.

“We’re hearing a lot of this where customers are saying ‘I’m happy to go to a restaurant that enforces this so that I know everybody has taken the same measures as myself to protect my health and the health of my community.'”

A survey of Nanaimo Chamber of Commerce’s roughly 700 members, conducted in August when the passport was announced, saw 85 per cent of respondents against the idea.

The same survey was conducted after the September long weekend, with support around 50/50.

Several business owners in Nanaimo and across Vancouver Island have publicly indicated they will not ask about vaccination status by posting on rapidly growing social media groups in the last three weeks.

Smythe added in his duel role as chair of the BC Chamber of Commerce Executive Association, he’s fielded numerous calls from chambers and business operators in rural parts of B.C., including in the north where people are more opposed to the passport concept.

–with files from Ian Holmes

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alex.rawnsley@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @alexrawnsley