The arrival of vaccine passports in supermarkets greatly complicates shopping for families or resources who live with people struggling with an intellectual disability.
“We arrived at Walmart then we didn’t have our cards then he turned us around. I had a photo of it in my phone, but it made me turn around the same way, ”testified one of the residents of the Chambre en Ville resource, Stéphanie Caron-Jean, who is however triple vaccinated against COVID-19.
The manager of the intermediate residence where she lives strongly denounced the lack of flexibility on the part of traders.
Michelle Manseau takes care of six people living with an intellectual disability. Since the imposition of the vaccine passport, going to the store has become hell.
“I arrive with my bag, my winter coat, my mask… Him, his mask, he goes down. There, I have to tuck them in and hold them so they don’t get hit. Find my phone because I haven’t had time to organize myself, I have to get them out of the car,” described the founder of Chambre en Ville.
The time to show the vaccine passports of all his dependents, several had time to flee further into the trade or become disorganized.
Very often, she is even refused access because she only presents a photo of the identity documents, because she does not have the card in her possession.
“There, it ends by saying: ” Well there, madam, that’s the rules, they are clear ”. So there, they end up bringing the manager. It is absolutely necessary that I say: ”Okay, well that’s fine, I’m going to go and carry them in the tank until I do my errands” so that someone lights up that it doesn’t make good sense, what they are doing,” she added.
“When you’re a resource, it’s the same for my employees. When we go out and go somewhere, we always drag the health insurance cards of our young people everywhere, but it’s a photocopy that we give. When we drag something with us and we risk losing it, recommending it well is also something tedious for these families, ”said the director general of Autisme Mauricie, Martine Quessy.
For their part, the checkers of vaccine passports at the entrance to businesses have no choice but to comply with the regulations of the company that binds them, even if they would have preferred to use common sense.
“I don’t think that if we ask the government the question, if someone is accompanied by a QR code and he is accompanied by a patient to pick up goods, I don’t think we refuses it. On the other hand, if the customer says that this person does not enter, unfortunately, the security guard is obliged to do his job, ”advanced the owner of King Sécurité, Steve Gauthier.
Michelle Manseau is aware that the measures are important, but still hopes to benefit from greater tolerance on the part of merchants, especially for the well-being of people living with an intellectual disability.
Reference-www.journaldemontreal.com