Vaccine Passports Dropped In Every Maritime Province
SAINT JOHN—In a monumental step towards returning to normalcy, all three Maritime provinces officially dropped their vaccine passport systems on February 28.
As of Monday, organizations and businesses are no longer required to check for proof of vaccination to grant entry to customers or guests.
In New Brunswick, that means restaurants, gyms, entertainment centres, and churches are all free to let in whomever they like, regardless of their vaccine status.
In Nova Scotia, vaccine passports have been dropped for restaurants, bars, events, and all other nonessential activities.
P.E.I., meanwhile, similarly lifted its vaccine passport requirements. The province also no longer requires non-vaccinated travellers entering the province to isolate, although they must still be tested several times after entering.
In New Brunswick, Premier Blaine Higgs introduced requirements for proof of vaccination in September 2021 amidst a spike in Covid-19 cases and hospitalizations caused by the emergence of the Delta variant.
However, at a Covid-19 update on February 24, the premier announced the province is now in a position where it can safely lift restrictions.
On March 14, the province plans to lift all the remaining Covid-19 restrictions.
In Nova Scotia, the provincial government plans to drop all restrictions by March 21. Halifax Regional Municipality, the region’s largest urban centre, has followed suit.
HRM also went one step further and ended the vaccination requirement for staff, students, volunteers, and suppliers. Halifax put unvaccinated workers on unpaid leave and required all new hires to be fully vaccinated in October.
Premier Tim Houston also said last week that talks are ongoing about returning the province’s unvaccinated employees to work.
With files from Robert Lothian and Jack Morse.