NL Vaccine Passports Required for Oct 22, but Churches Can Choose Masking Option – Halifax | The Canadian News

Newfoundland and Labrador introduced their vaccine passport system on Thursday, but the government decided to make an exception for religious communities despite a recent cluster of cases involving a Pentecostal church.

The new NLVaxPass mobile app will be available for download starting Friday morning, although businesses and other organizations covered by the passport will have until October 22 before the system is implemented.

People 12 years of age and older must present proof of vaccination before entering places such as bars, restaurants, gyms and nursing homes, places that the province considers “non-essential.”

Earlier this week, it appeared that the provincial government was considering adding more measures to reduce outbreaks at religious gatherings. Prime Minister Andrew Furey had a phone call with provincial religious leaders on Tuesday, during which he spoke about the importance of COVID-19 vaccines and vaccination passports.

This came amid reports of the increasing community spread of the new coronavirus in central Newfoundland, a region sometimes referred to as the province’s Bible Belt.

On Wednesday, The Canadian Press reported that a couple who attended First United Pentecostal Church in Bishop’s Falls, NL, were seriously ill as a result of the virus, while public health officials noted there were 56 active cases in central Newfoundland. . The church pastor said he was fully vaccinated, adding that he had not told parishioners whether or not they should be vaccinated.

However, during Thursday’s announcement, the province fell short of the mandatory vaccine passport for religious gatherings. Instead, the government said it would allow religious groups to implement passports or limit in-person services to 50 percent of their capacity, with all attendees, including ministers and musicians, masked, bubbly and socially estranged, and with singing restricted to the choir. .

The new measures are similar to those in New Brunswick, which has also seen outbreaks linked to a fellowship of Pentecostal churches. According to a spokeswoman for the progressive conservative government in New Brunswick, all religious venues must now require vaccination passports or limit their services to 50 percent of capacity, enforce masking and “remove the chant from services.”

In Newfoundland and Labrador, there are different levels of restriction for religious services. In the Baie Verte Peninsula, Boyd’s Cove, New World Island and North-South Twillingate areas, meetings are limited to 20 people within physical distance. The rest of the province allows meetings of up to 500 people with physical distancing.

The Rev. Fred Penney, pastor of the Elim Pentecostal Tabernacle in St. John’s, said in an interview Thursday that he was leaning toward the vaccine passport option, though he said he would discuss the matter with church leadership. He said a passport policy may make people feel safer and attend church.

He said the option of masking and social distancing would mean that he would have to wear a mask while giving a sermon and parishioners would not be able to sing – both significant setbacks for his church if implemented.

“I am disappointed with this development, but I am trying to understand the government’s position of wanting to protect the population against a highly communicable variant of the Delta,” he said. “As Christians, we believe that part of being a good Christian is loving our neighbor, and that includes being attentive to the safety of our neighbor.”

The pastor said he believes churches should not be clustered with gyms, restaurants and other “non-essential services,” and that a universal and mandatory passport vaccine policy would not have recognized the special role of religious communities in society.

“If someone comes to our church unannounced and needs spiritual and pastoral care, we meet with them personally. We would not reject them, ”he said.

The province also announced Thursday that youth ages 12 to 18 are exempt from the passport requirement when participating in stadium sporting events and during indoor and outdoor practices.

Health officials reported seven new confirmed cases of COVID-19. The province has 118 reported active cases and 16 people hospitalized with the disease, including seven in intensive care.

This Canadian Press report was first published on October 7, 2021.