Kingston Companies Prepare for COVID-19 Vaccine Certificate Application | The Canadian News

Ontario’s proof of vaccination policy goes into effect Wednesday and requires receipts for the COVID-19 vaccine to enter certain indoor public settings.

Non-essential businesses like restaurants, nightclubs, movie theaters and sports venues are included in Ontario’s new vaccine certification program. The City of Kingston also requires proof of vaccination for all recreation facilities, stadiums and the Kingston Grand Theater operated by the city.

Global News spoke with several Kingston business owners who said that while they are ready to follow the new security protocols, taking on the additional role of law enforcement will be challenging.

Since the corresponding new QR code vaccine app won’t launch until the end of October, some business owners say they haven’t received proper guidance from the province on how exactly they should enforce the vaccine certificate program.

“The lack of government support, the lack of instruction and the lack of an app to deal with this. Now my staff has to get in touch with tracking, vaccine tracking, and identity verification. It’s a lot of work for someone whose income is going down, ”said Sara Thomas, manager of The Geneva Crepe café.

Starting Wednesday, without the app up and running, companies will look for a physical or digital copy of the receipts for the second dose, along with a government-issued ID.

Paul Fortier, the owner of the Renaissance, a restaurant and event space, says a vaccine passport will help keep customers and staff safe.

Fortier opened the Backyard restaurant in the backyard of his event space over the summer to keep his business afloat. Despite rumors circulating online that Fortier would not impose a vaccine mandate for indoor meals, he says he has always followed and will follow COVID-19 protocols.

Still, like Thomas, he is weary from the added pressure that will come with the vaccination certificate.

“Clearly, it will be a bit more work for us. We have to do a screening, we have to verify the identification of each client and verify that the identification matches their vaccination certification, “he said.

Others, like Rosemary Doyle, artistic director of the Kingston Theater, said that asking for identification is simply an awkward task when it comes to attracting patrons to the theater.

“I never liked that when you come to the movies you have to show your ID and stuff, I feel like it’s like going to the border. I think those who buy a theater ticket are pretty conscientious people, but we will do whatever we have to do to keep everyone safe, ”said Doyle.

For his part, Thomas says he has faced a backlash trying to enforce most of the other COVID-19 guidelines at his restaurant, and is concerned about the new headaches the passport will bring.

“They’ve yelled at me for telling people to disinfect, they’ve yelled at me for asking people to put on the mask,” Thomas said.

She says having a real app will alleviate some of her anxiety, but before that, she’s concerned about the reaction her staff will get when she asks customers to provide identification and proof of their second-dose vaccinations.

As these protocols are implemented, the executive director of the Greater Kingston Chamber of Commerce urges customers to be patient with company staff who must check the status of vaccines.

“There are always setbacks with something new, so we need patience. Many companies are understaffed, so they need to figure out how it’s going to work for them, ”said Karen Cross.

Please note that minors under the age of 18 who enter a facility for the purpose of participating in organized sport, those with a physician-approved medical exemption, and children under the age of 12 are exempt from the immunization policy.

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