Lifting of COVID-19 vaccine passports has some Windsorites feeling relieved
CBC
Some Windsor businesses and residents said they were happy to enter gyms and recreation spaces Tuesday without having to show a vaccine passport.
Proof of COVID-19 vaccination is no longer required at most Ontario restaurants, gyms and movie theatres as of Tuesday. Nightclubs, sporting and concert venues can get rid of capacity limits and restrictions are also lifting on social gathering sizes.
But even though the province is lifting the rule, businesses can still require people to show their vaccine record.
Sue Smith, the regional manager of Crunch Fitness, estimates that the vaccine passport drove away at least a quarter of their customers in recent months. With the requirement dropped, she said the gym is preparing for many to return.
"A lot of people actually froze their memberships and we're getting a lot of people calling to unfreeze that as well, tonight is probably going to be our big night," she said.
"We are extremely happy."
Gym-goer Rob Day said "it's wonderful" that he no longer has to show proof of vaccination.
He said it wasn't "a big problem" to show proof, but he's glad to not have to and doesn't mind not knowing if others around him are vaccinated.
While Ontario is ending most of its major COVID-19 public health measures, Premier Doug Ford has said mask mandates will likely be in place for at least a couple more weeks. Both Day and Smith said they were looking forward to having the mask requirements drop soon.
City of Windsor facilities are also no longer requiring a vaccine passport and are switching to a passive form of screening, which means that people are asked to self-screen when entering facilities but don't have to formally report their responses.
As facilities move closer to normal operations, the city's executive director of recreation and culture Jennifer Knights said more programming will be made available.
"We'll continue to grow things ... as we have staff and as we have demand, we'll see where we go throughout the spring," she said.
Some public health restrictions do still remain in place, such as mandatory mask wearing, physical distancing and hand washing, Knights said.
She added that people should still self-monitor and not attend facilities if they are feeling sick.
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