End of proof of vaccination mandate in Sask. also brings end of Vax Verifier app
CBC
Saskatchewan's vaccine requirement program is history.
On Monday morning just after midnight, the province ended its proof of vaccination or negative test mandate for businesses, workplaces and venues such as bars or restaurants.
The end of the policy also brings the shutdown of an app that establishments could use to scan QR codes for proof of vaccination.
"Beginning today, eHealth Saskatchewan is in the process of decommissioning the SK Vax Verifier app," said the Government of Saskatchewan on its website.
New users hoping to get the online tool will no longer be able to download it, according to the province.
Businesses who have been using it in the past "will be asked to delete the app from their device," said the government.
COVID-19 vaccination records including a QR code will continue to be available on MySaskHealthRecord, the province said.
That means people still have access to the SK Vax Wallet app "for the foreseeable future," said the government.
While the provincial vaccine requirement program has come to an end, people from Saskatchewan might still need proof of vaccination when traveling to other jurisdictions, such as British Columbia.
All remaining public health orders related to the pandemic, including mandatory indoor masking in public spaces, will be removed in Saskatchewan as of Feb. 28.
Bodhi Tree Yoga never used the Vax Verifier app to check its students' vaccination status.
By the time the province implemented the proof of vaccination requirement in October 2021 and the online tool became available to businesses, the yoga studio had already been requiring visitors to be vaccinated for months.
"[When we started] we faced a pretty intense backlash and just received a lot of threatening phone calls and emails," said Colin Hall, co-owner of Bodhi Tree Yoga.
Hall thinks it is too soon to drop the mandate in Saskatchewan.
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