Sask. businesses preparing for changes ahead of potential end to proof of vaccination policy

Businesses in Saskatoon are bracing for disbanding the proof of vaccination program after Premier Scott Moe said it would end “sometime in the near future.”

Gary Baba who is the general manager of Wendel Clark Classic Bar and Grill in Saskatoon welcomes the change.

“Proof of vaccination, I think it’s about time it’s ending, we always felt it kind of discriminated against restaurants,” said Baba. “It was hard to check people, they were getting a little frustrated at the end here.”

Currently anyone wanting to dine out at a bar must provide proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test.

Dr. Cory Neudorf, interim senior medical health officer with the Saskatchewan Health Authority, says the policy should eventually be lifted but now is not the time. He says he would have rather seen a similar situation to when the province opened up in the summer, where it had to reach a vaccine threshold.

“What level of immunization can we say okay, we know at this level, it's going to be less likely for us to have massive outbreaks and hospital pressures,” said Neudorf. “The other evidence is that the number of cases is, in fact, staying low and that hospitalizations aren't going up.”

On Friday, Moe was asked about the removal the proof of vaccine policy and the benefit it will provide to the unvaccinated.

“Saskatchewan, and I don’t doubt that all provinces ultimately are, is always looking at the effectiveness of the measures that we have in place,” he said.

According to Neudorf, restaurants will be faced with a precarious position.

“Restaurant owners who want to create that safe space are having to look into, is there any way that they can still have that kind of policy without a government mandate?” said Neudorf. “Others are just happy to end it and want to get everybody back in, but if they do that, there's the possibility of the negative press associated with having a super spreader event in your facility.”

The Saskatoon Chamber of Commerce and the Saskatchewan Chamber posed a few questions to over 500 of its business regarding the removal of mandate:

1. As a business, how do you feel about the province potentially ending the current proof of negative test and proof of vaccination policy? Two-thirds are in favour of removing by the end of February
2. If the province lifted the mandatory current proof of vaccination/negative test policy should businesses still be able to require proof of vaccination/negative tests from their employees and patrons? Two-thirds said yes
3. If the policy was no longer in place but you were legally able to require proof of vaccination/negative tests would your business still implement the policy? Evenly split with 50 per cent saying yes and no.

“If there's a lifting of all mandates, there will be a transition period of course, businesses will have to, think for themselves and assess the risk tolerance of their employees and their customers.”

Baba knows that as his restaurant welcomes back in unvaccinated people, there will be some who are scared off.

“People felt safe going to restaurants,” said Baba. “Now they are going to say that person unvaccinated, that person’s not vaccinated. I don’t feel safe anymore.”

The province still hasn’t solidified a date for when restrictions will be removed.