'Nobody wants to have to make calls like this': Dickens Pub to require proof of vaccination
Ahead of a planned Aug. 27 reopening, the owners of a Calgary concert venue have announced all customers must provide proof of vaccination.
Dickens Pub announced the decision on social media as behind-the-scenes preparations were underway for the return of live music to the recently renovated establishment.
"There is increasing concern over the 4th COVID wave which is clearly gaining strength," read the Aug. 20 post. "Most Albertans are vaccinated but there is still a distressingly large percentage of people either on the fence or refusing the vaccine.
"I am not here to debate the efficacy of vaccines or the public policy surrounding how things have been handled."
Proof of vaccination for entry to Dickens Pub will be in place for "the foreseeable future." Ownership encourages patrons to bring the original paperwork from their vaccination, a vaccination card from a pharmacy or produce proof of their vaccination from the My Health Alberta portal.
"While I know most of you will be relieved at this decision, I am aware that some of you will feel just the opposite. Nothing about any of this is easy.
"A lot of business owners are being forced from one seemingly impossible decision to another. Nobody wants to have to make calls like this. But we are at a point with this whole thing where we need to find a way to move forward without an endless series of business closures and re-openings and it is my opinion that this is the only realistic path available to us now."
Later Monday the Palomino Smokehouse announced it would also be asking for proof of vaccination, or of a negative covid test taken within the last 72 hours from customers attending any of its live events.
“We made the decision, because with increasing numbers, and the metrics that these numbers are showing, which is that, you know, over 94 per cent of the people who are ending up in hospitals and putting a strain on our healthcare system, are either partially vaccinated or unvaccinated," said Arlen Smith owner of the Palomino Smokehouse.
“Without high levels of vaccination, then this disease will continue to morph and have more variants. I don't want to go through this forever. I'm tired of closing my doors for months at a time and we figure this is going to help us do our part to move forward.”
The Calgary Chamber of Commerce says proof of vaccination will likely become more a more common demand from local businesses. “This is where companies are going, and businesses are going because they want their patrons, employees guests and to be safe," CEO and President Deborah Yedlin said. "And what we've got now is a patchwork system that is cropping up across the country, which isn't helpful from a business certainty perspective,."
“If we want to keep the economy open, we have to provide some certainty and some comfort for people that they can engage in those activities and not be at risk," she added. "And that one way to do that is to make sure that people are vaccinated, and or have a negative COVID-19 test that they can show evidence of.”
CTV reached out to Premier Kenney’s office to ask if there has been any movement toward providing Albertans with a document that might expedite proof of vaccination.
The premier’s press secretary Jerrica Goodwin responded with a terse email saying only
“You can refer to previous public statements from the government."
Albertans already have access to their personal vaccination status via https://myhealth.alberta.ca.
Premier Kenney has previously stated he has no interest in introducing a vaccination passport in Alberta.
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