Provincial officials are set to fill in the blanks surrounding the B.C. vaccine card ahead of next week’s rollout.
Premier John Horgan, Health Minister Adrian Dix and provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry are scheduled to speak Tuesday at 2 p.m. BIV will be reporting on the afternoon briefing as new details emerge.
Plans for the cards were initially announced August 23 amid a surge in COVID-19 cases spurred on by the Delta variant.
Officials said last month British Columbians will be able to access a link with their proof of vaccination ahead of the September 13 launch of the digital certificates.
People can save their proof of vaccination on their smartphones if they wish to visit what the government describes as discretionary locations or events: restaurants, concerts, sports games, gyms, pubs and more.
Retail locations, such as grocery and liquor stores, will not require the vaccine cards to grant entry to customers.
Those unable to show proof of vaccination online will be given “a secure alternative option,” according to a government release.
Many questions still linger over the enforcement of this initiative and some businesses across the province have already publicly stated they will not enforce the cards.
“The B.C. government needs to be on standby to get hacked. It's probably going to happen,” David Masson, the director of enterprise security at cyber-defence firm Darktrace PLC, told BIV shortly after plans for the vaccination certificates were announced last month.
The Journal de Montreal reported in late August hackers obtained some QR codes tied to Quebec's vaccine passport campaign, including those belonging to Premier François Legault and Health Minister Christian Dubé.
Horgan, meanwhile, said his government was working with the Privacy Commissioner, the Ministry of Health and the Office of the Public Health Officer to ensure data was kept secure.
“We’re confident that every tool we can use to protect this information and to make sure it can’t be duplicated or forged will be put in place and we’ll see how we unroll it on the 13th [of September] and can be judged at that time,” he said after the B.C. vaccine card was first announced.
B.C. users will need at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine to be permitted entry into certain locations. By October 24, users are expected to be fully vaccinated at least seven days after getting their second dose to access businesses and events.
“The B.C. government is in a difficult position because they're trying to second guess what the future holds. And nobody really knows what the future holds,” Masson said.
Keep checking BIV.com Tuesday afternoon to find out all the details surrounding the B.C. vaccine card as they roll in.
