Ontario may not drop the vaccine passports next month as planned

A requirement to show an Ontario vaccine passport in restaurants and gyms won't likely end in mid-January as previously planned.

The vaccine passport system was first implemented in the province in September and it is required to dine in restaurants, attend concerts, movies and gyms. There are still many places people can go without the passport.

The province had initially set out a plan to end capacity limits and proof-of-vaccination requirements at restaurants, bars and other food or drink establishments, alongside sports facilities, gyms, casinos and bingo halls, on Jan. 17, 2022.

BREAKING: Ontario to announce new COVID-19 measures on proof of vaccination Friday, CBC News has learned. #COVID19Ontario https://t.co/uxiWZuix7h

— Mike Crawley (@CBCQueensPark) December 9, 2021

But the arrival of the Omicron COVID-19 variant in Ontario seems to have changed the plan as Health Minister and Deputy Premier Christine Elliott indicated earlier this week.

"We're planning to start lifting things, but if this Omicron variant circulates widely and if it's as virulent as it has been in other jurisdictions, we are going to need to take a look at that," she said when asked about the timeline for vaccine passports on Monday.

The CBC is now reporting that Ontario is dropping its plan to end its vaccine passport program in mid-January, and will require all proof of vaccination certificates include QR codes.

The province is expected to make an announcement on Friday.