The province has officially launched the NLVaxPass and NLVaxVerify apps for the vaccine passport.
Two weeks from today the vaccine passport system will come into full effect, restricting unvaccinated people from attending non-essential businesses and events, but many are wondering what that will mean for the employees of those businesses.
Premier Andrew Furey addressed unvaccinated employees working at businesses where they are now required. He hopes that “forward facing businesses” and their employees have been encouraging vaccines and that such situations should be limited.
He says for those employees who are unvaccinated there will be a grace period of up to December 1, which he says is similar to what will be announced next week for public employees.
Meanwhile, as the vaccine passports roll out, some businesses have expressed concerns about their frontline workers being tasked with enforcement.
The minister of Digital Government and Service NL, Sarah Stoodley, says the app will show each person if they meet public health criteria, hopefully cutting down on the number of people trying to enter businesses.
Furey says they recognize the anxiety the system may cause for frontline workers.
Will the system be a little disruptive? The Premier says yes. Furey says everything is disruptive right now and he is confident that the system will work.
AnnMarie Boudreau, of @stjohnsbot , asks that people not be deterred from shopping local with these new measures @VOCMNEWS pic.twitter.com/0DmDX26wx9
— Richard Duggan (@RDugganVOCM) October 7, 2021
The provincial government says the ID requirements that accompany the vaccine passport are relatively flexible.
To gain access to a business, a person must also present a form of ID to confirm that the QR code actually belongs to them.
For children and teenagers between 12 and 18, an MCP card or birth certificate will suffice.
Premier Andrew Furey says original copies will not be required either. Children can use a picture or a photo copy of the document.
For adults, a picture ID is required. But, as Minister of Digital Government and Service NL Sarah Stoodley explains those requirements are also flexible.
She says an expired ID is acceptable as they are only using it to make sure a person’s name and photo match.
According to Stoodley, adults who do not have any sort of photo ID are encouraged to reach out to the department and arrangements will be made for them to get one.
The province is urging people to treat their personal QR codes for the vaccine passport the same as they would any other piece of personal information and keep it as private as possible.
Government has launched the NLVaxPass and NLVaxVerify apps for use with the documents.
They are urging that the codes not be shared and say only the official government apps be used to store and read the codes.
Those apps, they say, are safe and personal information isn’t uploaded or sent anywhere.
However, the concern comes from any other apps that are able to read the codes.
Minister of Digital Government and Service NL Sarah Stoodley explains that the QR codes for the passport are very sophisticated and contain a key specific to this province that protects the information.
She says malicious apps shouldn’t be able to read the codes, but to be safe people shouldn’t share them and businesses should only use government’s app to read them.
Here's how to get your QR code. There will also be a Phone number available for those without access to a printer to have their code mailed to them@VOCMNEWS pic.twitter.com/LRsgdrOjHC
— Richard Duggan (@RDugganVOCM) October 7, 2021
To get a proof of vaccination record QR code, residents can download the app, visit the COVID-19 Vaccine Portal or MyGovNL.
Those who don’t have access to technology can call 1-833-951-3859 to request a printed copy, or visit a public library.
