What being fully vaccinated means for Manitoba restaurant patrons
Manitoba is set to begin its first phase of reopening this weekend, and the rules include certain benefits for fully vaccinated people.
Beginning at 12:01 a.m. on June 26, restaurants and bars are permitted to reopen at 25 per cent capacity indoors and 50 per cent capacity outdoors. The province noted that people seated together for indoor dining need to be from the same household -- unless they’re fully vaccinated.
“Those who are fully immunized are able to dine indoors with people from other households,” said Dr. Brent Roussin, chief provincial public health officer, at a news conference on Wednesday.
For outdoor dining, tables are limited to a maximum of eight people, who can be from different households regardless of immunization status.
Roussin noted restaurants will be able to verify someone’s vaccine status through digital or plastic immunization cards. He added there will also be an app made available later in the week that will be able to read the immunization cards.
“It doesn’t share really personal health information,” he said.
“It simply will show the person’s name and either a green checkmark [which means they’re] fully vaccinated, or an ‘X’ [indicating] no records found. Nothing is stored or anything like that.”
When asked about children under the age of 12, who are not eligible for the vaccine, Roussin said they will follow the vaccine status of their parents.
“If both parents that are attending a restaurant are fully vaccinated, those under 12 would meet that,” he said.
Roussin noted the province will not be making this same exception for those aged 12 to 17.
The province notes that more benefits for fully immunized Manitobans will be announced next month, including increased capacity for fully immunized people at weddings, funerals, faith-based gatherings, as well as other gatherings. This will be based on the continued vaccination rate increase and improvements to Manitoba’s COVID-19 situation.
Some of the other current benefits for fully vaccinated Manitobans include visiting fully immunized loves ones at personal care homes, and travelling within Canada for essential and non-essential purposes without having to self-isolate upon return to Manitoba.
This news comes after Manitoba exceeded its first reopening vaccination target, as 71.6 per cent of Manitobans aged 12 and older have now received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine and 28.8 per cent have received their second dose.
Fully vaccinated people are those who have had their second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine for at least two weeks.
“We’ve offered a variety of motivations to encourage people to get vaccinated,” said Premier Brian Pallister.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Israeli forces seize Rafah border crossing in Gaza, putting ceasefire talks on knife's edge
Israeli tanks seized control of Gaza’s vital Rafah border crossing on Tuesday as Israel brushed off urgent warnings from close allies and moved into the southern city even as ceasefire negotiations with Hamas remained on a knife’s edge.
Mediterranean staple may lower your risk of death from dementia, study finds
A daily spoonful of olive oil could lower your risk of dying from dementia, according to a new study by Harvard scientists.
Winnipeg man admits to killing four women, argues he's not criminally responsible
Defence lawyers of Jeremy Skibicki have admitted in court the accused killed four Indigenous women, but argues he is not criminally responsible for the deaths by way of mental disorder – this latest development has triggered a judge-alone trial rather than a jury trial.
An El Nino-less summer is coming. Here's what that could mean for Canada
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.
Man banned from owning animals after fatal Calgary dog attack
The owner of three Calgary dogs that got loose and mauled a woman to death in 2022 has been ordered to pay a $15,000 fine within one year and banned from owning any animal for 15 years.
Have you been removed from your family doctor’s patient list for visiting an Ontario walk-in clinic?
Some Ontarians are expressing frustration after they said that they were removed from their family doctor’s patient list for visiting a walk-in clinic in a process being called “de-rostering.”
East-end Ottawa family dealing with massive rat infestation
Residents in Ottawa’s Elmridge Gardens complex are dealing with a rat infestation that just won’t go away. Now, after doing everything they can to try to fix the issue, they are pleading with the city to step in and help.
Canadian government proposes new foreign influence registry as part of wide-spanning new bill
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government is proposing a suite of new measures and law changes aimed at countering foreign interference in Canada, amid extensive scrutiny over past meddling attempts and an ever-evolving threat landscape.
Boeing Starliner capsule's first crewed test flight postponed
The long-awaited first crewed test flight of Boeing's new Starliner space capsule was called off for at least 24 hours over a technical issue that launch teams were unable to resolve in time for the planned Monday night lift-off.