Vaccine QR codes only starting Monday

By Al Beeber on November 13, 2021.

LETHBRIDGE HERALDabeeber@lethbridgeherald.com

Starting Monday, operators participating in the province’s Restrictions Exemptions Program will only be accepting Alberta vaccine records with paper or digital QR codes.

Businesses will be using the COVD Records Verifier app to scan QR codes, says the Alberta government.

When scanned, the code shows a person’s name, birthday and vaccination information. It is not connected to other personal data, says the province.

A QR code will have to be shown by people entering City of Lethbridge recreation and culture facilities starting Monday.

The City has also made the decision to implement a mandatory vaccination policy for all City staff which also comes into effect4 on Monday.

“At the end of the day, our goal is to protect the safety and health of our staff and our community,” says city manager Craig Dalton in a news release. “Ensuring people are vaccinated is the most effective way to do that.”

Acknowledging there may be some employees unhappy about this announcement, Dalton confirmed the risk of not taking this step was far greater than the objections that may be raised.

As of Oct. 27, 89 per cent of City staff had completed the vaccine disclosure form, the City told the Herald recently.

Of those who had reported as of Oct. 27, 96.6 per cent were reporting as fully vaccinated our were in progress toward reaching full vaccination status. Only 3.4 per cent were reporting as not being vaccinated.

Fire/EMS staff are tied to the AHS policy as a direct service provider. That policy was amended by AHS on Oct. 22, extending the vaccination deadline to Nov. 30.

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