Londoners weigh in on the coming end of vaccine passports
CBC
The Ontario government announced it will drop the COVID-19 vaccine passport on March 1, leaving some in London celebrating and others wondering if the time is right.
Mayor Ed Holder said Monday some restaurants might choose to keep them in place, using it as a competitive edge for patrons who want the security. The head of London's Chamber of Commerce, Graham Henderson, told London Morning that would certainly lead to negative publicity for those owners.
Like his counterparts at the Ontario Chamber of Commerce, he said lifting the passport is welcome, but business owners need assurances it won't lead to another shutdown and that it is the right time.
Dr. Alex Summers, acting medical officer of health for the Middlesex London Health Unit, said that without the vaccine passport, people should still wear masks and wash their hands frequently.
CBC London hit the streets to see what those running restaurants, and those planning to visit, think of the change.
Pearson, who co-owns Angel's Diner on Belmont Drive, said the vaccine passport has to go.
"We need to move forward with all this," she said. "They say that this is going to be around for a while so whether you're vaccinated or not, you don't escape it. We just have to learn to work together on this."
She believes everyone needs to be respected regardless of their vaccine status and feels confident with the "tools in the toolbox" available for fighting the pandemic.
The province didn't scrap the mask mandates, but she would have preferred that they did, explaining she has to wear one for 14 hours each day.
"We get fibres stuck down our throats from these masks."
Monture, who owns the Wortley Roadhouse, still sees a benefit in the masks, but also invites the end of the vaccine passport, questioning its effectiveness.
"It's going to be welcomed," he said. "I don't think we're rushing into it."
Unlike Pearson, he hasn't seen a drop in business since they introduced the pass system.
"Through the whole time, the difficult part for us is that we were the people that had to enforce all that."
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