The government of Ontario, Canada has removed Wuhan coronavirus vaccine passport requirements entirely on Tuesday, but noted businesses can choose to enforce the measures on their own.
Ontario conservative Premier Doug Ford announced the end of the vaccine passport system last month after claiming that “key public health and health system indicators” were improving.
On Tuesday, Ford commented on the end of the vaccine passport, stating, “Because of all the progress we’ve made, businesses are now at full capacity. At the advice of Dr. Moore, proof of vaccination is no longer required but some businesses may choose to continue to ask for it. We’ve come so far. Please be kind, safe & cautious.”
The Ontario government will allow businesses to keep the vaccine passport in place of their own accord but few have announced publicly that they will be doing so.
The Revue Cinema, an independent cinema in Toronto, has pledged to keep their vaccine passport in place until at least April, saying that those who bought advance tickets likely expected the vaccine passport would remain in force and the theatre wanted to “honour that commitment.”
Corporate cinema Cineplex, meanwhile, has stated that it would be ending its proof of vaccination requirements on March 1st.
“Based on provincial government directives, effective March 1 we will remove the proof of vaccination passport requirement to enter all of our venues in Ontario,” Melissa Pressacco, Director of Communications for Cineplex said. “Our team has proven that we can safely operate during the pandemic, and we are thrilled to continue to welcome even more guests into our theatres to enjoy movies on the big screen — the way they are meant to be seen.”
Ontario is not the only Canadian province lifting its Wuhan coronavirus restrictions. As of Tuesday, Alberta has lifted nearly all of its restrictions, including most of its masking mandates, which still remain in force in Ontario.
Both provinces began lifting restrictions following the Freedom Convoy protests which blockaded border crossings in both provinces along the Canadian border with the United States last month.
While the Alberta blockade at the town of Coutts ended following negotiations between protestors and Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), the Ontario protest at the Ambassador bridge in Windsor was ended after Premier Ford declared a state of emergency and used the police to end the protest.