Ford to speak as Ontario’s vaccine certificate system kicks in Wednesday | CBC News

“I know this may be tough for some, but we owe it to our businesses to do everything we can to avoid lockdowns,” said Ford.

“Please be patient. Let’s all continue to support our amazing businesses.”

Beginning Wednesday, patrons at dine-in restaurants, nightclubs, gyms, sports facilities and other venues must present a receipt of full vaccination along with government identification. Doctors’ notes for medical exemptions will be accepted.

Fines are possible for businesses that don’t comply with the checks required by the system, and for patrons who give false information. But businesses, bylaw officers, police forces and the province say enforcement will be gentle at first

Vaccine website temporarily down Wednesday morning

Early Wednesday morning, Ontarians trying to access the province’s website for proof of COVID-19 vaccine receipts were met with an error message.

The Ministry of Health said the portal was temporarily down in the morning due to “routine maintenance, not due to demand.” Weekly maintenance is scheduled overnight on Tuesdays from 11 p.m. to 8 a.m. Wednesday, and from 11 p.m. Saturday to 9 a.m. Sunday.

The province’s top public health doctor has asked Ontarians to be “kind and considerate” as the system takes effect.

Dr. Kieran Moore has also said he believes the system will lead to a boost in vaccinations, particularly among those aged 20 to 39 since that cohort often frequents venues covered by the system.

Since the announcement of a forthcoming vaccine certificate program was made on Sept.1, more than 259,000 first doses and more than 338,000 second doses have been administered, according to the Ministry of Health.

The ministry said as of Tuesday evening, a total of 66,497 COVID-19 vaccine appointments have been booked since Sept. 1. The figure does not include appointments booked through other channels such as pharmacies and local public health units using their own booking systems, it noted.

Businesses have said they feel prepared to implement the system but are uncertain how patrons will respond to it.

James Rilett, Restaurants Canada’s vice-president for Central Canada, said restaurants are “as prepared as they can be” but are expecting “some loss of business” and confrontations with some patrons.

Ryan Mallough, senior director of Ontario affairs at the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, said businesses have a “decent understanding” of what’s required but there’s “some stress and anxiety around what happens in a moment that doesn’t go smoothly.”

While venues will have to check paper or digital vaccine receipts with identification at first, the province has said it aims to launch a QR code and verification app for businesses on Oct. 22 to streamline the process.

Ontario reports 7 more deaths linked to COVID-19

Meanwhile, Ontario reported 463 new cases of COVID-19 and seven more deaths related to the illness on Wednesday.

Of the reported cases today with a known vaccination status:

• 278, or 60 per cent, were found in people who are unvaccinated.

• 21, or 4.5 per cent, had a single dose.

• 131, or 28.2 per cent, had two doses.

The seven-day rolling average now stands at 692.

Here are some other key pandemic indicators and figures from the Ministry of Health’s daily provincial update:

Tests completed in the last 24 hours: 39,092.

Provincewide test positivity rate: 1.8 per cent.

Active cases: 5,851.

Patients in ICU with COVID-related illnesses: 187, with 112 needing a ventilator to breathe.

Deaths: Seven, pushing the official toll to 9,670.

Vaccinations: 21,475,030 doses have been administered to date. Nearly 85.3 per cent of Ontarians aged 12 years or older have now received at least one dose of a vaccine, while 79.4 per cent have received two doses.