Quebec Vaccine Passport

08/13/2021

The Kateri Memorial Hospital Centre (KMHC) Public Health Department and the Public Safety Commission wish to provide some important information regarding Quebec’s plan to implement its Vaccine Passport initiative, aimed at mitigating transmission of COVID-19 and the “Delta” variant as the anticipated fourth wave approaches. The Vaccine Passport, which will be implemented by Quebec on September 1, 2021, will only be available to individuals who have received both vaccines or who have had COVID-19 and one dose of the vaccine. It will allow those individuals to access non-essential, high-risk environments. Currently, this will not apply to retail businesses nor to essential services such as grocery or convenience stores. 

“Although this Vaccine Passport is a Quebec initiative, it’s important that we do the same in Kahnawà:ke, to be applied to both community members and non-locals,’” said Lloyd Phillips, Commissioner of Public Safety. We don’t want to create a situation where a large number of unvaccinated people come to Kahnawake attempting to get around Quebec rules, as this would put our community at an unnecessary increased risk. We witnessed and learned from a similar situation during Quebec’s lockdown of Montreal and Laval. People from Red Zones were traveling to Orange and Yellow Zones to shop and eat in restaurants, which led to a province-wide lockdown of all non-essential businesses.

The Public Safety Commission and Public Health, in consultation with the Mohawk Council of Kahnawà:ke, have agreed that moving forward on implementation of the vaccine passport system within Kahnawà:ke is in the best interest of the health and safety of the community, to help mitigate the transmission of COVID-19. Data shows that the risk of transmission for unvaccinated persons is much higher than that of persons who are fully protected (post 14 days after the second dose). The Passport Initiative adds a layer of protection for both vaccinated and unvaccinated by limiting movement in high-risk environments to only those with a low transmission risk, namely those who are vaccinated.

“This ‘Passport’’ is a balance between health and economics and could prevent the need for stricter measures or shutdowns if the situation gets worse,” continued Lloyd Phillips. “This is purely about taking steps to protect our elders and our children from the Delta variant, which is a game-changer in how easily it spreads.”

It is important to note that these measures are temporary and allow for a safer environment and support us remaining in the Recovery period despite the actual and expected increase in the cases and level of risk associated with the “Delta” variant. Ultimately, this measure is expected to limit the long-term impacts on all determinants of health (economy, food security, education, well-being, etc.) and will contribute to maintaining the Recovery Phase of the Pandemic, and ultimately an eventual return to normalcy.

This is not going to be applicable to the retail sector, and those businesses that will be impacted will be contacted and provided with more information shortly. Additionally, more information on how Quebec’s Vaccine Passport will be implemented will be announced as developments occur.

More information on the Vaccine Passport can be accessed here https://www.quebec.ca/en/health/health-issues/a-z/2019-coronavirus/progress-of-the-covid-19-vaccination/covid-19-vaccination-passport.

It is important to note that, even with the large percentage of the community and Quebec being vaccinated and returning to green zones, we are still in a pandemic. We need to remain vigilant and continue following all health and safety measures to protect our community.