Toronto 
Credit: Apple Store
Quebec will require visitors and residents to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination starting September 1st to access non-essential facilities and activities like restaurants, theatres, group sports and indoor sports.
Quebec unveiled the details of the vaccine passport called VaxiCode yesterday. Residents can download VaxiCode from App store or Google Play which will convert their vaccine information into a QR code and store it in a digital wallet.
Quebec says an internet connection is not required to display VaxiCode at mandatory places like events and festivals, performance halls and halls where sporting events take place, casinos, cinemas, training halls, team sports, bars, restaurants and certain extracurricular activities.
Minister of Health and Social Services Christian Dubé said, “With the adoption of this vaccine passport, our government is offering a digital and secure solution to face the current challenges of the pandemic. Experts from the Government of Quebec’s Governmental Defense Center have ensured that the vaccine passport meets the highest standards of cybersecurity and the protection of the personal information of Quebeckers. This passport is a reliable and efficient digital tool, which will help us maintain the most normal level of activity possible for citizens, while supporting public health. ”
Who all will need to show VaxiCode:
- VaxiCode or the vaccine passport is required by all persons 13 years of age and over only. People can also download the QR code in paper form.
- Proof of id is also required to corroborate the QR Code holders’ identity. A photo id is required if the person is over 16 years old.
- Those who cannot get COVID-19 vaccines for medical reasons can go to a vaccination clinic with the appropriate documentation to have everything entered in the vaccination register. They will be issued a QR code to access services.
- Visitors to the province will need to show vaccine proof from their province or country together with identification.
- Teachers, students and those who go on school trips need not show vaccination proof during a school trip.
- Homeless people are exempt from the obligation to present a vaccination passport to access dining rooms and restaurant terraces.
How does it work:
Vaccination proof or VaxiCode can be shown in three formats:
- In paper format – Download and print after providing name, date of birth, date of first vaccination against COVID-19, commercial name of the first vaccine against COVID-19, Health insurance number.
- In PDF format on your mobile device – Download and save the proof online.
- VaxiCode app– Download details like above to your mobile device. Then download the VaxiCode application and follow the procedure on screen to add proof of vaccination.
Quebec has another app called VaxiCode Verif for business owners and operators which will allow them to check the vaccination status of customers. The application will read the QR code that appears on the proof of vaccination, to determine a person’s protection status against COVID-19. This status will be displayed in green or red, with the certification of the Government of Quebec, determining whether or not the person can access the place.
Quebec says no other information, other than the name of the person, will be visible on the reader, VaxiCode Verif.
Starting September 1, those wishing to access non-essential services and activities will need to show the VaxiCode.
Quebec says in order to give the operators or those in charge of the places and activities concerned time to adjust, a stay is scheduled between September 1 and September 15. During this period, the vaccination passport must be required, but no sanction will be applied for the companies and the various places where the activities concerned are held. However, sanctions will apply from September 15.
Those who falsify the record will face hefty fines.
Places where VaxiCode is required:
Vaccine proof is required at places like:
- Outdoor events and festivals with more than 50 people:
- Sports matches or shows (play, musical concert, etc.) in outdoor stadiums;
- Outdoor music or comedy shows
- High level sports competitions;
- Outdoor cinema;
- Agricultural fairs
- Trade fair
- Multi-purpose festivals or parties;
- Walks, marathons, cycling circuits;
- Golf tournaments;
- Immersive or ambulatory routes.
- Theatres, auditoriums, cinemas, indoor arenas, performance halls, stadiums and arenas or any other type of hall or place where performing arts, sports matches or films are presented
- Bars and restaurants, dining rooms of fast food establishments, discotheques, microbreweries, distilleries, supply areas of shopping centers.
- Arcades, thematic sites, amusement centers and parks, amusement centers, recreation centers and water parks, escape rooms, historical or thematic villages, zoos, aquariums and similar places, biodomes, planetariums, insectariums, botanical gardens.
- All team sports or physical activities involving frequent or prolonged contact, practiced outdoors, including during an extracurricular activity, with the exception of professional and high level sports or those practiced in a school setting, people who reside at the same address, outdoor free practice facilities for team sports or physical activities even if they involve frequent or prolonged contact (eg, free-use tennis courts and ice rinks).
- All indoor sports or physical activities.
- cruises
Places where vaccination proof is not required:
- Teachers, students and those who go on school trips need not show vaccination proof during a school trip.
- Outdoor sports activities like: tennis, golf, athletics, biathlon, triathlon, archery, horse riding, downhill skiing, cross-country skiing, water skiing, snowboarding, road biking and mountain biking, single rowing, single canoeing, paddle board, single sail, hiking, running.
- drive-through services
- take-out counters
- libraries
- museums
- private gatherings
- ceremonies (weddings, funerals)
- places of worship
- spas and saunas
- shops and businesses offering personal and beauty care
- massage therapy
- dog training course
- driving lesson
- accommodation
- hunting and fishing activities.
Detailed information on Quebec’s vaccine program is listed here.
