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The vaccinated may enter: Alberta’s COVID-19 vaccine passport system begins

EDMONTON — Alberta’s COVID-19 vaccine passport system comes into force Monday, Sept. 20.

The program allows businesses and venues to operate without capacity limits and other public health measures if they require proof of vaccination or a negative test result from anyone entering.

It applies at restaurants, nightclubs, casinos, concerts and fitness facilities, and is not mandatory.

When it was announced by Premier Jason Kenney last week, it also applied to retail stores and libraries, but they were removed from the list of eligible businesses over the weekend.

Kenney had previously opposed a vaccine passport over what he said were privacy concerns, but said last week it has become a necessary measure to protect Alberta’s hospitals that face the prospect of being overwhelmed in the pandemic’s fourth wave.

Starting Sunday, Albertans were able to download cards with the dates they’d received their vaccinations, and a health ministry spokeswoman says work continues on a more secure QR code that will be available in the coming weeks.